Point of No Return
by NeedMyFix
Summary: "Nothing, Edward. Not a word. You broke my trust and completely shattered me in the process. It's left us at a point of no return." There's always a reason why people do what they do. There's always another side to the story.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. I realize this isn't a very original premise, but hey, there's nothing new under the sun.**

**Warning: Proceed with caution. This is NOT for the faint of heart. Okay, that's a little dramatic, but really. **

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**Prologue**

**.**

_**January 12, 2012**_

**.**

He used to bring me here all the time, and now, he's here with a gorgeous blond instead. He looks dapper in a handsome black tailored suit and she looks like she belongs with him, wearing an elegant sapphire gown. She's so heartbreakingly beautiful. Or maybe her beauty only breaks my heart because I wanted to be where she is right now. It was supposed to be my place beside him, not hers.

I feel the familiar tingle and I know that he's looking at me. My face burns and I tense, goose bumps prickling all over my body. My eyes meet his across the room and the surprisingly strong tide of emotion that sweeps through me leaves me breathless and a little teary-eyed. I can't show him that he affects me, though. And I can't pretend that he doesn't, so I take a deep breath to keep my emotions in check and prepare to flee.

"Ro, I've got to go." I tell my best friend, Rosalie, who brought me to my favorite place to make me feel better.

I gesture lightly with my head to where he's sitting behind her and she turns her head to glance at him and then back at me within a second. One look at my face and she knows it's just too much, too soon for me.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. Wait, just let me settle the bill and then I'll drop you off."

"No need for that. I'd rather walk. You know it helps me get my head straight." I say as I get up, trying not to make my escape too obvious.

Rosalie regarded me carefully before she nodded and stood up to give me a gentle hug, squeezing my waist.

"It's going to be alright, girl." She says in a reassuring tone.

"I know. Thanks." I know no such thing.

After I put on my coat, I step out of the fancy hotel and start walking. The night is so cold that my breaths come out in swirls of visible mist. I shiver and burrow my hands deeper into the pockets, quickening my pace. I just want to get home so I can wrap my hands around a steamy cup of hot chocolate and marvel at the absolute clusterfuck my life has suddenly become. As I stride purposefully on the sidewalk, I hear the clack of hurried footfalls behind me and somehow, I just know it's him.

The only problem is I can't face him. I don't want to. Not yet. But it seems like I have no choice and I'm out of time. So I suck it up and have a complete meltdown before he reaches me.

"Bella."

I don't turn around. I don't stop. I just keep walking, ignoring him. I don't know if it's juvenile of me that I'm not listening or if there's something wrong with him, that he thinks I would even listen to him after what he's done.

"Bella," he's beside me now and he grabs my jacket-clad arm gently but firmly. I shake it loose, suddenly livid at his audacity. Anger is good – it takes my mind off the overwhelming panic I was feeling before.

"Don't touch me." I'm thankful that my voice isn't shaky, maybe because I'm talking through gritted teeth.

He looks hurt but I don't care. In fact, it feels good in a vindictive way and when this feeling registers in my mind I'm instantly disappointed in myself. To think I'm reduced to this – a woman scorned. I snort lightly and start walking again.

"Bella, please."

"Please what? Listen to you? You weren't man enough to say anything when you should've. Now you want to talk?" I laughed sarcastically, though there was no element of humor to be found in this fucked up situation. Only deep, gut-wrenching pain.

"Bella, you don't understand." He said and I stopped walking.

"You're right. I don't. And now, I don't even want to. Nothing you have to say will make this right, Edward." I turned to him completely and I realized I was crying but I didn't care, "What are you going to tell me? She's cheating on you, too? It was an arranged marriage? You don't love her anymore?"

I shook my head and continued, getting a little hysterical with every word, "Your words are meaningless to me now. You gave me a fucking promise ring, for God's sake. What was it for? A promise that it'll come to an end and I'll feel like a fool for ever trusting you?"

"Please don't say that, Bella. I _love_ you." His voice was nothing but a whisper as he took a step forward and I involuntarily stepped back.

"Don't." I closed my eyes tightly, shaking my head disbelievingly, "You've betrayed me in the worst way, Edward. You hid the fact that you were married the whole time. I feel so wretched. I -" the sobs wracking through my body were making it hard to carry on. Edward raised his hand to comfort me but let it drop when halfway through. Good thing that he did. I'd lose it if he touched me now.

"Please don't feel bad. It's not your fault. It was all me. I just – I couldn't – I _wanted_ you, Bella, and I just couldn't stay away from you. You're such a good person and I knew you'd never even look at me twice if you knew I was married."

"Are you hearing yourself right now? _That's_ how you justify yourself? Cheating on her and never having the guts to tell me that I'm involved with a married fucking man." I was getting disgusted the longer he talked. "You shouldn't have come after me in the first place. And if you _had_ to, like you seem to believe, you should've been truthful from the get go. You of all people, Edward. You've made me commit something terrible – something I never even deemed myself capable of doing."

"Bella, she -"

"I don't care if she's difficult. I don't care if she's got fangs. We did her wrong. _I_ did her wrong and I'm not even sure I can forgive myself for that, let alone, you."

"_Bella._" It was a plea, a prayer and sheer agony.

I sucked in a shaky breath and straightened my back because what I was going to say wasn't easy, "Nothing, Edward. Not a word. You broke my trust and completely shattered me in the process. It's left us at a point of no return."

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**AN: *Crickets chirping***

**Anybody with me? It's just one of those things that wouldn't leave my head, so I consulted the awesome PoeticBrunette and posted it. Let the chips fall where they may.**


	2. Chapter 1

**PoeticBrunette looked it over but I added stuff afterwards. Like always. All mistakes are on me.**

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**Chapter 1**

**.**

_**May 13, 2011**_

**.**

I struck a confident pose as I strutted into the skyscraper building, keeping my shoulders back and my head held high. My designer pumps clacked noisily against the expansive marble floor, while I attempted to gracefully maneuver through the whitecollars. I pushed my glasses higher up my nose impulsively.

I usually only need them when I'm reading but my friend, Rosalie, thinks that they make me look older, more serious, which is exactly what I was going for. If I was going to be chewed out by some know-it-all attorney with a waistline proportional to his exorbitant fee, I better not look like a freshman without a clue. Not that I was. A freshman, that is. I was, however, pretty clueless in this scenario.

_Damn, I should've consulted Emmett. He's a lawyer, he would've told me what to do. Why hadn't I?_

Oh, yeah. Because he and Rose were on their honeymoon and I didn't want to bother them with my petty issues. A small voice inside my head acknowledged that I hadn't involved them because I knew Rose would've kicked up a fuss at my need to "save the day". I'm already cringing at what she'd say in that particular lecture. I couldn't help it, though. I had to do something. But I wasn't sure what.

I uselessly ran a hand along the pencil skirt and straightened the jacket of my "power suit". Rosalie's words, not mine. She also believed that looking good helps you feel in control. I beg to differ. Underneath this veneer of strength, I was sweating bullets.

I ran a nervous hand through my loose curls as I squeezed into the packed elevator. Papers were shuffled, orders were barked into phones, shoes were tapped in impatience while I anxiously shifted from one foot to another. People filtered out and squeezed in at intermittent levels, before I finally reached the 44th floor. Stepping out of the stuffy elevator, I was greeted into the brightly-lit reception area of the law firm with a huge company logo staring me in the face.

_Cullen Bloodsworth Whitlock_

What's with these law firms and their longass names? What would happen if someone had an unfortunate last name like _Weiner_ or _Beaver_? _Weiner Berns Beaver_? No. Wait for it. The master piece, ladies and gentlemen. _Moore Long Weiner_. I snickered, shaking my head at my ridiculousness. A throat clearing to the right interrupted my amusement and I was reminded of where I was standing. My cheeks went slack, as if a switch was flicked and I was back to freaking out.

The pretty receptionist looked at me like I was the most entertaining person to have ever graced the confines of this office. With a start I realized, I probably was. So before I could make more of a spectacle of myself, I swallowed my embarrassment and walked assuredly toward her. She scrutinized me from head to toe and I could see the conclusion in her beady black eyes. I don't belong here.

_So much for the power suit._

I opened my mouth but the shrewd woman beat me to it.

"Welcome to _Cullen Bloodsworth Whitlock_. I'm Vanessa Angstrom. Can I help you?"

"Yes, please. I'm here to see Edward Masen." Here's hoping I got the name right.

Her finely-shaped eyebrow arched, "Do you have an appointment?"

_Fuck. I don't have an appointment. What now?_

"It is imperative that I meet with him, Vanessa." I insisted, holding my ground.

"Oh, it always is." She nodded her head emphatically, "It's a law firm, after all. People's lives are at stake here."

_Ok, she's scaring me now. _

"Listen. I realize the value of time in the legal world, but I really need to see Mr. Masen." I didn't back down, praying like hell my voice didn't sound whiny.

_God I hope she doesn't have the guards escort me out. That'd take mortification to a whole new level._

"Alright. I'll see what I can do." Then she leaned over the desk and peeked down at my feet, "Only because I _love_ your pumps. _Fendi_, right?"

The way she reverently spoke the name suggested that she was a fashion aficionado. I, on the other hand, knew jackshit about it. If it looked good, I'd wear it – that was my modus operandi. Rosalie had tried to instill some appreciation of the finer things in me, but after a few failed attempts, she'd labeled me a lost cause. Something told me, revealing my ignorance won't be the best move here, so I simply nodded.

The woman smiled brightly and said, "They are simply _gorge._" Then she picked up a phone on her desk and dialed a few numbers off the top of her head.

"Alice, there's a woman here to see Edward." she said into the handset, her fingers playing with the coiled wire.

"No, she doesn't have an appointment, but she says it's really urgent and she didn't have time to make prior arrangements." The monologue continued.

"I know, but Ms. -" she looked up at me and I muttered "Swan."

"Ms. Swan here is wearing the Fendi pumps that you were salivating over at Nordstorm last Sunday."

There was a gasp at the other end and then there was shrieking. I'd feel bad for the receptionist but she started screeching too.

"_I know, right?_" Only dogs can hear her, I'm sure of it.

_Is that even acceptable in law firms?_

"You can go straight in. Turn left and you'll see a short brunette with a pixie haircut wearing a Marc Jacobs Stripe dress." She gave me a meaningful look, like I was supposed to know what that meant.

I thanked her and went straight ahead, repeating in my head, "Marc Jacobs stripe dress". What does a Marc Jacobs stripe dress look like, anyway?

"Oh. My. _Fendi_," a raven-haired woman practically skipped toward me, her eyes trained on my footwear.

I wondered if I'd somehow been transported to a _Gossip Girl _episode. Not that I'd ever seen one. But I suspected that the girls in that show would definitely appreciate the "designer" status of my apparel as much as these women have been doing.

"I want to hear all about how you came to own these babies," she said and I gulped, already terrified of this conversation, "after you've had your meeting, of course."

I followed her to a beautiful, glass-walled office, with several racks filled with books and CDs.

"Please have a seat. Mr. Masen will join you momentarily."

"Thanks." I mumbled, looking around a little star struck. Books were my life – I lived in storybook-world half the time, so it wasn't a revelation, really. But the amount of books here had me itching to get my hands on one. Just _one._

The receptionist closed the glass door behind her as she left the room. I tapped at the glass-top of the table. I could see my reflection in it. I ran a quick hand through my hair to settle the rebellious strands. The books were calling to me. I tapped some more. I think it's been five minutes since I've been sitting here now. Convincing myself that I'll keep my ears open for any footsteps coming this way, I wandered over to the book shelf, unable to hold off any longer.

There were all kinds of books here. An entire shelf was dedicated to thick, leather-bound legal journals that I immediately skipped over. The next shelf contained an amalgamation of classics and contemporary. There was Shakespeare and Tennyson. There was Fitzgerald, Steinbeck and Faulkner. He had a compendium of Arthur Conan Doyle's works. _Sherlock Holmes_. He predictably had a copy of _To Kill a Mockingbird_. Atticus Finch is definitely a legal superhero. I noticed that his collection was particularly arranged, perhaps by their publishing years. Oldest to the left and time passes as you move right.

I was intrigued as I moved to what I believed was the contemporary section. Too many names I was unfamiliar with. I chose a book at random. Never heard of this one. It said on the cover it was a bestseller. The summary sounded scarily fascinating. An ugly custody battle, child abuse, murder. I opened the book arbitrarily and delved headfirst into the story. One page into it and I was sold.

_Why haven't I read this?_

I was so lost in the book that I didn't hear anyone enter until it was too late.

"Oh, please. Make yourself at home." A sarcastic voice sounded behind me.

I gasped embarrassingly loudly as I wheeled around, clutching the book to my chest. My eyes widened. The man standing before me was strikingly handsome with reddish slicked-back hair and a clean-shaven angular jaw. Dressed in a decidedly designer gray suit, one of his hands leisurely buried in the pocket of his trousers, he was positively model-esque. Okay, I had grossly underestimated the lawyers at Someone, Someone and Someone else. This one didn't have a huge belly that preceded him. In fact, I'm pretty sure he has some serious abs going on under his shirt.

_Why am I thinking about what's under his shirt?_

"_Ahem._" He cleared his throat and I looked into his cutting green eyes, my cheeks reddened at getting caught ogling him. He raised an eyebrow and looked at the book I was still holding on to like a lifeline.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." I carefully placed it back on the shelf and looked at him, "You have a vast collection. I was tempted."

He snorted, "Aren't we all?"

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, you heard me. I would've made a that's-what-she-said joke, but judging by your shifty eyes and overall skittish demeanor, I bet you would've sued me for sexual harassment." Then raising a challenging eyebrow, he added, "Or passed out."

Suddenly there was nothing beautiful about this guy. He was an asshole through and through. I frowned, unsure whether he was testing me or trying to throw me off. Either way, I knew I didn't have much time, so I sucked it up and said the first thing that came into my mind.

"Why is Richard Harrison being sued for plagiarism?"

"Why was Clinton sued for sexual abuse?" he fired off immediately.

A product of being a know-it-all my whole life, I jumped to answer the question without a second thought, "Because there was sufficient evidence against him that supported the claim."

"There you have it," his mouth quirked into a lopsided grin, "You just answered your own question."

He moved further into the office, and made his way around the table, settling into the comfortable-looking leather seat. It hissed softly under his weight.

"Now if you will excuse me," he waved at the bundles of papers and files on the table, indicating wordlessly that he had more important things to do. With that, he unceremoniously buried his head into a file, as if he were alone.

I was completely incensed. I had expected a patronizing asshole but he was practically ignoring me when I was right in front of him.

_That won't do._

I covered the meager distance between the shelves and the table quickly and thumped the file close. His eyes shot up. I felt strangely invigorated. The power suit was finally serving its purpose.

"I want you to tell me what kind of evidence there is against him."

"Sure." He said faking congeniality, "Why don't you sit down and we'll discuss the details of the case over high tea."

Even though it clearly wasn't an invitation, I sat down at the opposite end of the table as I took my head in my hands.

"Look. It's important. I was his editor. I liked his premise and accepted his manuscript. He was my first writer and now he's caught up in this lawsuit. It makes me feel like I'm responsible. If it is true then I should've known and if not, I should be there to testify or whatever it is that I can do to help him."

"How touching." He deadpanned, before he asked, "Why didn't you go to him?"

"I wanted to get an unbiased view on things. He certainly wouldn't confess to me, if he actually did plagiarize." That was only partially true. Richard wouldn't tell me anything saying his lawyer told him to keep shut about the case.

The room was completely silent for an indefinite amount of time, as I looked at my downtrodden reflection in the glass covering the table. When I lifted my eyes, I found him gazing at me with a curious expression on his face.

"What made you think I would tell you whether he is guilty or not? I'm his legal counsel and it's my job to prove the allegation wrong, regardless of its authenticity."

"I thought if I could help -"

He out right laughed at that and my face heated up in utter chagrin.

"Ms. Isabella Swan, 26. Junior Editor, Norman & Norman Publishers. Graduated Summa Cum Laude in English Literature from NYU, and right away got an internship at your current place of employment." Cocking an arrogant eyebrow, he said, "I can go on, if you want. You don't think I looked into everything and everyone who could possibly be brought in to testify. Besides, this case is _not_ going to court. We've made a settlement offer, which _you_ don't need to know about."

Completely deflated, I got up from the seat and made my way toward the door.

"Miss Swan," I halted but didn't turn around, as I waited for him to deliver his final blow, "this is a cut-throat world. Everyone for themselves. Don't trust anyone, until you have indisputable proof."

Though his voice was surprisingly soft, an unexpected shudder rippled down my spine at the cold tenor of his words.

_What a creep_, I thought shaking my head.

Little did I know that this advice, I was so quick to dismiss, was what I should've taken to heart. It could've saved me a lot of heartache.

* * *

**AN: Ok kids, raise your hands if you think Edward's an asshole?**

**Aw, don't be so harsh on the poor guy. PB asked me if he even has a redeeming quality. All I have to say to that is – Bella liked him – she accepted a promise ring from him. She must've seen _something._**

**So I attempted to actually plan the story out before posting. I was initially thinking about making this a fic like iambeagle's "It Begins Like This" - alternate _now_ and _then_ chapters. But then I think I should just stick to _then _untilI get to the prologue. Any ideas? I'd love to hear them.**

**Thanks for reading, you guys. **


	3. Chapter 2

**PoeticBrunette took time out of her extremely busy schedule to look at this.**

**Note: I've decided to stick with the "back then" chapters for now but I've added these datestamps in all the chapters so that if I do get the urge to mix it up and write a "now" chapter, you'll know.**

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**Chapter 2**

**.**

_**May 22, 2011**_

**.**

I really hope Emmett has a better poker face for when he's battling cases out in court. Sitting across from me on Rosalie's beloved red couch, his face was nothing but revealing. As if his twitching lips weren't indication enough, his soft brown eyes were practically cackling at me.

"You can laugh, Em." I said flatly, "I know you want to."

He let it loose then, shaking his head at my absurdity, "Seriously, Bells. What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't." I was feeling stupider by the second.

"Clearly." He stated succinctly, still chortling. I groaned, hiding my face in my hands, utterly chagrined.

I'd just spent the better part of the last thirty minutes telling him all I knew about the Richard Harrison plagiarism case and my unfortunate encounter with the legal monster. In retrospect, I can see how foolish my actions were. I mean what did I even hope to accomplish? I'd pulled a classic Bella there – act first, think later.

"I mean that was pretty stupid, Bella." He smirked evilly, "Even for _you."_

"Alright, that's it." I smacked at the armrest, "I get it. It was stupid of me. Mr. Fancy Suit already shred my dignity to bits. You want his leftovers?"

"Well, when you put it that way." He trailed off, exaggeratedly leering at me.

"_Emmett."_ Rosalie's reprimanded from the kitchen, where she was cooking dinner for us all. Not cooking, really. More like setting the table with the take out we ordered. Semantics.

Emmett looked like a deer in headlights and I snorted, "Behave, Em. You don't want to be kicked out of the bedroom when Rose is still in honeymoon phase."

They'd just gotten back three days ago from their honeymoon in Hawaii. Between the two of them, I'd gotten an earful of overtly graphic details I could definitely do without.

"Ok. Ok." He held up his hands in surrender, "I'll lay off on the innuendo, Chicken Little. But -"

"Can you please lay off on the t_hat-was-insanely-stupid_ comments, too? We've already established how much of an idiot I am. No need to rub it in."

"Aw, too much for widdle ol' Bellaw? The big bad lawyers pickin' on ya?" he mocked, because he really couldn't help it – the oaf. But apparently he wasn't the only juvenile on the couch because right then, I picked up the black cushion off the couch and flung it at him. It wasn't effective, though. He caught it, before it could hit him in his smug face. Stupid college-footballer reflexes.

"For future reference," he chuckled, tucking the cushion behind his back, "no lawyer would divulge any details about their cases any more than an editor like you would reveal anything about a book you're working on."

"I just -"

"Wanted to help." he finished for me, "I know. But he doesn't."

"I told him-" I tried to speak again, but he cut me off.

"Girl, you're making it too easy for me to patronize." That shut me up for good. Once he was sure I wouldn't interject, he went on, "He wouldn't tell you shit, no matter how doe-eyed you are." I opened my mouth to interrupt but he gave me a look, "Let me finish. He could've brought you in if he'd wanted, but he didn't -"

"I thought it'll make things easier if he knew I'd be willing to testify -"

"Doesn't. Matter." Frustration leaked through his words, "You're unbelievable. If he'd wanted you there, he would've made it happen. There's this magic paper called a subpoena-"

"But I just wanted to help-"

"And he didn't need it." His voice resounded in the entire loft, "Jesus, Bella." He raked an impatient hand through his cropped black hair.

Discouraged, I shrunk into the couch. He slid over to where I was sitting and threw his meaty arm around my hunched shoulders.

"I know you only wanted to help but it really wasn't your call to make." He massaged my shoulder comfortingly, "Lawsuits are no joke, Bella. He wouldn't trust you as far as he could throw you. And it has nothing to do with you, personally."

"Ugh, you sound just like _him._" I was reminded of _his_ trust-no-one speech, "I mean I get that his reaction was to be expected, seeing as I basically demanded he tell me whether his client was guilty or not. Rationally, I know I shouldn't hate him but he could've been a little nice about it." I sounded like a petulant child.

"Bella, Bella, Bella," he ruffled my hair affectionately, as I unsuccessfully tried to squirm away, "Anyways, I'm pretty sure he has it under control if there's already talk of settlement, like you said. I'll look into it for you, okay? You don't need to worry your pretty little head over this."

I nodded into his shoulder and then Rose hollered, "Dinner's ready, kids!"

Emmett jumped off the couch and pulled me up by the hands as we followed the scent of mouthwatering food to the dining table.

.

"What did you say was the name of the lawyer?" Emmett said, as he wiped his face with a napkin.

"I didn't." I frowned, realizing that I'd recounted the entire ordeal without ever mentioning the name, "It was Edward Masen."

Emmett's eyes widened and he whistled, "_Masen_."

"You know him?" I asked, his reaction sparking my interest.

"Every lawyer in New York knows Edward Masen. He's pretty much the best closer in town."

"I thought _you_ were the best closer in town?"

"I'm the best. _Period_," Rose rolled her eyes, "He's a genius, though. Ruthless, but brilliant."

"Doesn't surprise me." When Emmett looked at me askance, I went on, "I mean he'd been in the room for all of two minutes with me and he managed to see my '_shifty eyes_' and '_skittish demeanor_'."

I shuddered remembering his cold, calculating green eyes. He was definitely something to look at. But that smirk. The conceited twist of his lips that made me want to strangle him, which is quite a departure from the norm for me.

"And cocky." I blurted all of a sudden.

Rosalie, who'd been uncharacteristically silent up until that point, burst out laughing.

"All lawyers are cocky, honey."

"Yeah. That's the first thing they teach you in law school." Emmett laughed, "You can't be a good lawyer unless you have an ego-complex."

There was silence after that, and I could feel Rosalie's eyes on me as I continued to chew methodically, swirling spaghetti with my fork. I kept ignoring her in the hopes that she'd let it drop.

"I wish you'd think about yourself more often, Bella. I mean, you're a genuinely nice person. You're so selfless, it's – well it's _annoying._" And there she goes.

I snorted, choking on a piece of meatball that was currently lodged in my esophagus. I coughed and gulped down two glasses of water before I could speak.

"What do you want me to say, Ro?" My voice was hoarse, so I cleared my throat. The look on her face told me _that_ was definitely not what she wanted me to say.

"_Fuck_ Richard Harrison. Do you think that geezer would give a damn if _your_ ass was on the line?" She pointed at me with her French-manicured index finger, "Bella, if it were me, Emmett or even Leah you were helping out, it'd make sense because you know if the situation was reversed we'd help you out, too. But Richard Harrison? The asshole didn't even have the balls to tell you he was being sued." She was getting aggravated with every word that came pouring out of her mouth.

"Babe-" Emmett tried to reason with her. I closed my eyes and sighed, thinking _now you've done it, Em_. You _never_ interrupt Rose's tirade. _Ever._ Not unless you want it to get worse.

"Don't you _babe_ me." her voice gained volume, as she glared at Emmett, "She doesn't think twice before helping anyone no matter what it costs her. What if that puts _her_ in a pickle?" Her voice got more thunderous towards the end and I zoned out.

Emmett mouthed a '_Sorry about that_'. I gave him a small smile. Rosalie had a mile-wide protective streak. She'd put my dad, Charlie, to shame. And he was a cop. With a gun.

She's been my best friend since freshman year, when New York was foreign to the both of us. She was from Arizona and I came all the way from Washington State. We've looked out for each other ever since. Having lost her younger sister – her only sibling – to a brutal gang rape, six years ago, she was understandably guarded and didn't trust easily. Her need to protect everyone she loves can be a little overwhelming at times but I wouldn't have her any other way.

"God, you'd be a dictator of a mother. Very hitler-esque. Have you ever tried wearing a toothbrush mustache?" I jumped in during her diatribe.

I really didn't expect her to shut up – in fact, I was pretty sure she'd give me her bitch-face for that one – but she did and the way she and Emmett looked at each other told me something was going on that I wasn't privy to.

"What?" I looked from one to the other, "What is it?"

And then Rosalie smiled so beautifully, she was glowing. Her pale blue eyes were gleaming with unshed tears as she tentatively placed her hand over her stomach.

"Oh my God," I asked, my cheeks lifted of their own accord, "Really?"

Rose nodded as she linked her other hand with her husband's over the table, "We're pregnant."

I stood up abruptly and the chair protested with a screech as it slid out of my way. I went around the table and threw my arms around both of them. I heard Rose sniffle and I immediately tightened my hand around her. I felt Emmett do the same. It was an awkward group hug, with both of them still sitting, while I was leaning over from behind them, but in essence, it was perfect.

Moments like these are what you live for. The utter jubilation that transcends all the inconsequential issues in life and for that instant, it's all you can focus on.

"I'm so happy for you guys," I whispered into Rose's soft blond hair. "I didn't even know you guys were trying."

"We weren't," Rose said at the same time that Emmett boasted, "What can I say, my swimmers are overachievers!"

Rose and I both hit him for that and we all laughed.

"I get what you meant about arrogant lawyers now."

_**.**_

_**May 23, 2011**_

_**.**_

"You look awfully chipper for a Monday morning," Leah, my co-worker and best friend at work, barged into my office just as I settled into my seat. Okay, it was just a glorified cubicle but I think of it as my office and that's all that matters.

"Got some good news," I told her unable to keep the grin off my face.

"Will I get to hear about it?" she asked, tucking her raven hair behind her ears.

"Only if I get lunch out of it," I quipped.

"Deal." She turned to leave but stopped as she remembered something, "Oh and by the way, the Mother Hen is looking for her favorite chick."

I shook my head at her name for our publishing editor, co-founder, manager and essentially the "mother hen", Kate Norman, who takes all writers and junior editors under her wings and patiently hones and guides them all to go from good to nearly-perfect. She's responsible for some very artistic literary gems and I have such high respect for her work. I can't help that I get along so well with her. We share the same sensibility and admittedly, she is quite fond of me. But in my opinion, she's never been unnecessarily harsh to anyone. She's a genuine sweetheart. Unless you screw up, that is.

I picked up the manuscript I've been working on for the last three weeks and made my way towards her office, knowing she might be interested in discussing my progress. Our taste in literary works is quite parallel and we've had extensive discussions about philosophy, human psychology and contemporary art. We talk about Fitzgerald's mind-set, the Bronte's life, Shakespeare's melodramatic tendencies and a whole lot of other things that make others yawn. I think that's why she sometimes lets me get away with choosing a manuscript, as opposed to assigning me one. None of the other underlings have the same privilege, so I guess she does favor me, in some ways.

I knocked and let myself in, as she asks us to. Her office is an absolute chaos – the walls lined with shelves were loaded with a myriad of books. Her desk had an overflowing amount of books, manuscripts and other documents piled in huge and rather precarious-looking stacks. Kate herself was found on a ladder resting against one of the shelves, leaning sideways to get her hands on a book in the topmost row.

"One of these days, Kate, I'm going to sneak into your office, ninja style, and I'll clear all this mess for you. You'll find that your office actually has room to breathe."

"Well, Bella," she said as she finally managed to slide the book out of its residence, "I think you're deluding yourself if you think you'll be able to tackle this monstrosity in a day."

"Very true. It'll have to be gradual, I think. Like erosion. One paperback at a time."

"That's interesting. I think I can live with that." She said as she started climbing down the ladder.

I immediately went to help her, relieving her of the burden of the large volume. She gave me an appreciative smile that I couldn't help returning. Her face was round, with kind blue eyes and the laugh lines didn't make her look weary – they indicated that she's been happy for a long time now. She reminded me of Cinderella's fairy godmother. Mysteriously funny and kind-hearted. Also, she'd made my dreams come true. I love my job. Not many people can say that.

"Have you been reading Carol's book?" she asked excitedly as she moved to sit in her chair behind the desk.

"Yeah," I shared her enthusiasm, because the subject matter was something we were both passionate about. "I've read it twice now and it's one of the most beautiful pieces of raw text I've ever read. I mean-"

"Kate, you're going to love me for this." Someone barged into the room and I knew, before I even looked, who it was. I knew that voice – It was unforgettable. I turned anyway and my suspicion was confirmed.

Edward Masen stood tall and elegant in a navy blue suit and black leather shoes, polished to perfection. His hair was once again slicked back, just as I remembered and he hadn't lost the annoyingly self-confident smirk. I could feel the flow of blood up my neck and into my cheeks, thinking about our last interaction and how rash and completely out-of-mind I'd been. I glared at the manuscript in my hands.

_Bitchy, bitchy karma, what did I ever do to deserve this?_

"Edward! You know I love you already but tell me anyway. I can only love you more." Kate looked at him expectantly as she pushed her huge reading glasses into her hair.

Edward kept his gaze trained on me and Kate palmed her face, "Oh my, where are my manners. Edward, this young lady is my work-daughter and an extremely talented editor with an uncanny eye for detail, Bella Swan."

My face burned and I avoided looking into his eyes or even his face, opting to admire his black silk tie, instead. "Bella, this gentleman over here is the only reason Norman & Norman is still standing. He keeps me from making reckless decisions and uses legal jargon that I, for one, fail to comprehend. Meet Edward Masen."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," he said smoothly and I had to raise my eyes unless I wanted to come off as a complete jerk. He extended his hand and I took it on impulse. Instead of shaking my hand like I thought he would, he grasped it delicately and bowed down to softly plant his lips on my knuckles, all the while maintaining eye contact with me. It sent a pleasant shock through my body, causing me to exhale shakily as I looked away.

"Oh, how you make me swoon with your chivalry, Edward." Kate smiled dreamily, clearly charmed. "I swear they don't make them like you anymore. Men of substance, you know." She kept gushing about men "back in the day" but I couldn't hear over the frantic pounding of my heart in my ears. I took a few deep breaths discreetly, trying to get my heart rate to slow down. His scent was prevalent and masculine. It pervaded my senses completely.

_That wasn't so bad now, was it? Calm down._

"Please have a seat, Edward," Kate waved at the empty seat beside mine.

"I think I'll come back later, Kate." I stood up and made to leave the room without waiting for a response.

"Please send Julie in, won't you?" I heard Kate from behind me. I nodded and murmured a "Sure" as I opened the door and fled out of her stuffy office. I breathed a sigh of relief and told the receptionist that Kate wanted to see her on the way to my cubicle.

I stopped short when I saw a small but beautiful flower arrangement of white lilies and baby's breath on my desk. Curious, I reached forward and plucked the note off the bouquet.

_The case has been dismissed. Thought you'd want to know. _

I smiled, genuinely happy for Richard. I wonder why he didn't just call me. I whipped out my cell phone and scrolled through my contacts, tapping on Richard's name to call him.

"Bella?"

"Hello, Richard. I'm so glad the case was dropped. I was so worried." I said in one breath.

"Thanks, Bella."

"Thanks for the flowers, Richard. I really appreciate the gesture; you didn't have to do that, though."

"Um, what are you talking about?" He said in his usual absentminded fashion.

I realized he might have ordered them online and forgotten afterwards. I just made some small talk before ending the call. Richard wasn't much of a talker.

"Will you tell me about the mouthwatering specimen of manliness who delivered this to your desk?" Leah peeked over the cubicle wall we shared.

I snorted at her words, "I'm sure Sam will be interested to know that you've been ogling delivery boys." I reminded her of the very devoted boyfriend she seemed to have forgotten in her delivery boy-induced haze.

"He wasn't a _delivery boy_, Bella." She looked scandalized that I'd even suggest otherwise, "I swear he was a James Bond doppelganger. Tell me why Mr. Too-Hot-For-Words hand-delivered you these flowers?"

"Leah, these flowers are from _Richard._ His lawsuit got dropped." I said slowly.

"I don't believe that for a second. That old fart never wrote you so much as a thank you letter for all your hard work on his novel and you believe he'd send you a bouquet to let you know he was off the hook on the plagiarism charge." She paused and her face grew thoughtful, "Or maybe you want _me_ to believe that so you can keep your man a secret."

I rolled my eyes, "Cut down on your kooky mystery novels and let me do my work, Watson."

"At least tell me if you've had some below the belt action?"

I started reading Carol's manuscript loudly and thankfully Leah got the hint and left me alone. Momentarily.

.

That night, when I was putting the flowers in a vase, I reread the elegant script but just as I was about to throw it away, I noticed a tiny inscription at the back of the page. It said _E.A.M_. I felt like I knew what this meant.

My mind was trying to tell me something – perhaps that it had encountered something similar before – but I was too tired to delve deeper into that. It probably had something to do with the flower shop. I scrunched up the paper and tossed it into the waste basket without further thought.

It wasn't until I was snuggled in my bed, ready to sleep that I suddenly recognized why those initials had sounded so familiar to me.

* * *

**AN: How do you like this side of Edward, eh?**

**You guys are amazing. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I was just notified that my other story "Ignite Me From Within" is nominated on the Lemonade Stand for Fic of the Week. Six Dlbfive rec'd it. Wow. Just wow. **

**I won't even ask anyone to vote for me because the fix that it's up against are just too good for words but its like an honorable mention. I'm humbled and extremely honored. So yeah, thank you all.**


	4. Chapter 3

**I know.. I'm surprised, too! I updated. Fucking finally. Not beta'd, though.**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**.**

_**June 1, 2011**_

**.**

"Drop it, Leah."

"But he's so _hot."_ She looked at me like she was trying to figure out a rather complex puzzle while she licked the cappuccino foam off her upper lip, unwittingly emphasizing her point.

"Yeah, he is." I agreed, "but-"

"See," She perked up at once, "You think he's hot, which means you're attracted to him on some level. So I can't for the life of me figure out why you would keep him hanging like that."

"I didn't want to keep him waiting but I just couldn't say no to him," I groaned, feeling like a jerk. Maybe keeping him waiting is just as bad, if not worse. "I'll just tell him no and get this over with."

"Bella, Bella, Bella," she shook her head, "you're a young, beautiful and woefully single woman. When a guy shows interest in you, especially a guy you think is hot; you ought to give him a chance."

"Leah," I whined, already tired of this conversation.

She brought her hand over the table and to my complete surprise, palmed one of my breasts through my shirt and I yelped, "What the hell?"

I quickly looked around to check if anyone in the coffee shop had seen that. Thankfully no one seemed to care that a woman was fondling another one in a public place. Forget all gadgets and sci-fi stuff – this signifies the new millennium, where people are no longer surprised at same-sex pairings. Or public groping.

"You know these babies aren't going to remain where they are in a few years' time," she advised in a prophetic tone.

I snorted, "I know the perils of aging, Leah. And I know Paul is really nice and handsome and seems to be into me. I just- I don't feel the same."

Paul Welch was a good-looking a guy in the HR department – tall, muscular, blue eyes, killer smile – all the components that made for an all-round perfect choice for potential dating material, at least on the surface. He was also charming, as was evidenced by the way he'd asked me out for the company dinner. I'd responded with an awkward "I'll think about it" which was a far cry from his suave attempt at wooing me. He seemed like a nice enough guy and I was, for all intents and purposes, single. So why I was hesitating to accept his offer, I don't quite know. What I do know is that telling Leah about it was definitely the stupidest thing I'd done – at least in this week.

"I'm not saying marry the guy, Bella. Just go out with him once. And what's better than the company's dinner party for a first date? I mean if you don't like him, it'll be so easy to lose him." She reasoned, "Besides, I'll be there with you so if he turns out to be a creeper, we can always excuse ourselves to the ladies room and never return."

"That doesn't sound so bad," I allowed, digging into my chocolate cake. I closed my eyes as I savored the rich taste and the moist texture of the chocolaty goodness. It was absolutely divine.

_This is all that's good in the world_, I thought as I hummed my appreciation.

"The fact that all your moans for the past who-knows-how-many months have only been induced by dessert is reason enough for you to take Paul up on his offer."

I took my time letting the cake melt into my mouth and swallowing before replying, "Well, I'm sorry I've given my professional life priority over my personal one."

"Yeah, you should be."

"In case you missed the memo, I was being sarcastic."

"In case _you_ missed the memo, you're well on your way to becoming a senior editor, so from where I'm standing – or sitting, glaring at your beautiful cubicle from my tiny hidey-hole of a workspace – you're on the right track career-wise. It's high time you started thinking about your personal life."

I took another bite of the gooey cake as I pondered over this. She sort of had a point. My resume was definitely impressive and I was proud of it, but if there were a relationship experience section after the work experience one, I wouldn't have anything to write in it – nothing significant anyways.

High School wasn't the best dating ground. I took my time growing out of the awkward teenage phase and the insecurities associated with it. I was a bookworm who was too smart for the single-minded male students in Forks High. It took me a while to reach that conclusion, though. At the time, I was predictably obsessed with the hunky captain of the football team, Mike Newton. He was blue-eyed and brawny, I was plain and geeky. He would never even look at a nerd like me, I used to tell myself. Yeah, I know, I had a tendency towards drama back then but in my defense, I was a teenager with a lanky body, barely-there boobs and a million inferiority complexes that made me feel insignificant in front of the well-endowed, typical blond-cheerleader types.

It's strange how going to an entirely unfamiliar environment, in an uncharted territory, transformed me. My mother likes to joke that it's the water here, but I think it was the fact that no one knew the old me here and I could be whoever I wanted to be without being scrutinized or judged by the popular types who believe they are something special, when really, they are anything but. It was the relief of leaving behind the weird caste system of high school, where they live by the code, "Once a nerd, always a nerd."

The first time I set my eyes upon the Statue of Liberty, the wind whipping my hair wildly as the ferry took us closer to the grandiose sculpture – the exhilaration, the light-heartedness and the sheer liberation I felt, changed me. I felt free in a way that was completely life-altering. I decided then and there to leave my self-doubts in Upper New York Bay and thus, the new and improved Bella Swan was born.

The college experience was just what I needed to grow into myself. I put most of my energy into studying and maintaining the scholarship that had gotten me out of the tiny little town I called home. I loosened up a little. Went out. Had my first drink. My first boyfriend. First kiss. _First time_. But my focus never strayed from my studies too much and that is why I think my college romances fizzled out before they started going somewhere.

Then for the past few years, I've been so immersed in my job that I really haven't given it much of a thought. I got Leah's point. Now that my professional life is kind of steady, I should think about dating. I mean, I do plan on having kids someday and I'd like to take the traditional route. The idea of having a stranger's baby doesn't appeal to me.

_Why am I thinking about babies all of a sudden?_ Rosalie, of course. All she talks about these days is baby food, baby clothes, baby books and what not. She's affected my brain with all that baby talk.

"Maybe you don't want to date Paul because you're already dating." Leah interrupted my musings, "Maybe you're secretly dating that flower guy. Is he actually James Bond?" She fanned herself dramatically.

_The case has been dismissed. Thought you'd want to know… E.A.M._

"Get your head out of la-la land, Leah." I shook my head to rid my head of the words that had been haunting me for the past few days, "I'll tell Paul yes."

She smiled widely, "That's more like it! Although, I have to say, flower guy was just too scrumptious to pass up. Are you sure you're not going out with him on the sly, secret-service style?"

"My God, Leah! _That,"I_ pointed at her head, "is a scary place. I'm starting to feel sorry for Sam."

"Hush, you. I'm just a romantic."

"Or melodramatic."

"Same difference," She rolled her eyes, "Now let's talk dresses."

I rolled my eyes and she grinned excitedly as she began to rattle off every designer name known to the fashionable people of the continental US. I didn't care about the brands as long as what I wore looked good. I nodded, feigning interest as she debated between burnt amber and burnt sienna. I just didn't like the names of those colors – I mean colors should sound beautiful and any color name that started with _'burnt'_ just didn't sit well with me.

She kept going on and I nodded and hummed appropriately as I let my thoughts wander. And of course they went to the bouquet, yet again. No surprises there. It hadn't been off my mind since I'd realized who it was from.

It wasn't Richard who sent me those flowers and let's face it – it didn't seem like something he would do for his _wife,_ let alone his editor. Although, I have to admit that it hurt me a little that he couldn't even pick up a phone and let me know about the case when I had been calling him relentlessly just so he could tell me his lawyer forbade him to talk about it. The same lawyer, who thought I'd want to know that the case was settled.

I'd never thought I'd be one of those people who obsess over every tiny detail of a gesture and dissect it to the point where it doesn't even make sense. I was never one to question motives without a reason, but here I was defying my belief, wondering for the umpteenth time what the significance behind those flowers was. Or perhaps it was his words that should be analyzed.

After my epiphany that led me to believe Edward Masen had sent me the flowers – or delivered, if Leah's description of the delivery man wasn't an exaggeration – I'd extracted the previously discarded note out of my waste bin. Since then, I'd lost count how many times I'd read it over with different inflections and punctuations, just to decode a deeper meaning behind those ten, seemingly innocuous words. Not that I'd counted or anything.

_The case has been dismissed. Thought you'd want to know._

I hadn't been able to sleep that night because my brain kept running my interactions with him on a loop. I'd thought he perceived me as a naïve girl who was sheltered and blissfully oblivious to the so-called realities of life. Given the way that I'd acted the first time we met, I would have to grudgingly agree with that assessment. Then, in Kate's office, he was nothing but respectful, if a touch arrogant. Ok, so a lot arrogant but that's neither here nor there.

Why would he send me flowers, though? Why hand-deliver them? He could've just told me if he was visiting the office. Or just the note would've sufficed. That he thought of me at all is astounding and it riddles me. It was such a considerate thing to do and I hadn't even thanked him. Not that I hadn't tried numerous times already. I had located his phone number and all I had to do now was give him a call but I didn't know what to say to him. It made my hands clammy just thinking about calling him.

There was something about him that made me nervous. Maybe it was the fact that I was still horribly embarrassed by our first encounter, or maybe it was his intimidating manner and eyes that missed nothing. But I should call him. That way, even if he embarrasses me further, he wouldn't get to enjoy the humiliation on my face.

_Easier said than done._

I wanted to ask Rose for advice but she wouldn't hear anything that wasn't baby-related. And I think Leah would make this out to be a bigger deal than it actually is. I mean I have blown it way out of proportion myself. I didn't need her help for that. She'd raise more questions than she'd answer, anyway.

"Bella," Leah snapped her fingers in my face.

"Huh?" was my intelligent response.

"I said I think Emily has a dress you can borrow." Emily was her half-sister, who worked in the fashion industry.

"Yeah, that's a great idea, Leah." I said distractedly.

"I know! It's the perfect dress and with your complexion, oh my God, Bella, you'll have Paul eating out of your hand."

That made him sound like a dog but I decided against vocalizing my thoughts.

"It's gorgeous. I mean everything by whats-his-name is but that dress is a masterpiece."

I gasped, "You don't know the designer's _name_? Beware, the apocalypse is nigh."

"It's a very difficult name," she said impatiently before her eyes glazed over, as if envisioning me in the dress, "You'll look magnificent – I swear. You're going to wreak havoc at the party."

"Great. Just what I want."

_**.**_

_**June 4, 2011**_

_**.**_

"Leah, I don't think I can wear this." I picked up the dress and held it against my body in front of the mirror. It really was gorgeous – just the kind of dress I would've picked for myself. It was black with sheer long sleeves, the neckline dipping in a low-cut V a few inches below my breasts. It had a knee-length skirt which ended in a pleated fashion. It was simple and elegant.

"It's beautiful, it really is, but it looks like it cost an arm and a leg. What if-"

"Shut up, Bella." She came up behind me, her make-up and hair perfected. "Emily never wears a dress twice. She's got a room full of these things – a room, that I might add, is larger than my bedroom!"

"But-"

"I said shut up. Just wear it," she shoved the hanger in my hands, "This is a favorite of hers and she'll only torture you if you return the dress anything less than perfect."

"Can't you see why that makes me nervous," I carefully placed the dress on the bed and walked towards my wardrobe, wondering if I had something suitable for the occasion.

"Oh no, you don't," Leah dragged me away by the wrist and forced me to sit next to the dress. "Just wear the damn thing, Bella."

"Leah-"

"Please. For my sake. You don't want to break my heart, do you?" she pouted exaggeratedly making me laugh and groan simultaneously.

"Ugh fine. You're so pushy. And I'm such a pushover." I muttered as Leah beamed.

I quickly donned the dress after that and willingly sat down in front of Leah so that she could do my hair. She crafted a tousled up-do, letting a few stray locks stay loose, framing my face and went off to get dressed while I put on a little make-up. Shadowy eyes and a little red lipstick. Just as I was putting finishing touches, there was a knock at the door.

The peek through the spyhole showed Sam, his hands buried deep in his suit pockets.

"Hey Sam," I opened the door, giving him a hug. "How're you doing?"

"I'm fine. You look great, Bella." He offered stiffly.

I smiled and thanked him. When I drew back to look at him and return his compliment, I realized how different he looked. Sam was a marine and I'd only ever seen one expression on his face in the handful times that I've met him. Serene. Calm. I don't know if this had anything to do with his vocation or if it was just him, there was never so much as a frown or lip curl – none that I'd ever seen. Tonight though, there was something in the set of his mouth – it was not entirely a scowl but a mere tightening of his jaw.

"What's up with you?"

He slipped his hand into his jacket to retrieve a tiny velvet jewelry box and I put a hand over my mouth to stop myself from squealing.

"When?" I whispered through my smile.

"Tonight," he responded in kind before slipping it back into his pocket. He even smiled a little, which was definitely a first.

I hugged him once again, ecstatic for my friend, "Don't be nervous. She'll say yes."

He nodded as he squeezed me awkwardly, "Thanks, Bella."

"I know my man looks good enough to eat in a suit but would you keep your hands off him." Leah's heels clicked on the floor of my apartment as she sashayed over to her would-be fiancé in a slinky "burnt sienna" dress.

"Baby, you look beautiful." Sam's eyes lit up as he took Leah in and his feet took him towards her, as if of their own volition.

I smiled warmly at the sight of them – her face planted in the crook of his neck, his chin resting at her shoulder, whispering things back and forth. That was the moment I knew I was ready. Whether it was Paul or someone else, I was ready to explore the possibility that there was someone out there meant for me. I was ready to have a man in my life who would hold me, whisper sweet nothings in my ear and promise me the world.

I know it wouldn't happen miraculously but I held out hope.

* * *

**AN: Yoohoo?! Anybody there? *spies through high-tech binoculars***

**Yeah, I'm extremely sorry for going AWOL. I've got no excuses for you guys. You've heard 'em all anyways.**

**Let me know if y'all are still with me. **

**I wrote a really long version of this chapter but I decided to cut them in two parts because the last part (with the dinner party) just wasn't ready but I couldn't justify making you guys wait anymore (not that I believe for a second that you're pining for my story. I mean there are plenty other uber-awesome stories out there). I should be able to put up the next part soon – _should_ being the operative word!**

**Don't believe me? See, I've got proof (a.k.a. A little teaser to keep you going):**

"_I promise you'll be able to get out of here fast if you let me do the talking." Then he smiled down at me mischievously, "I don't mean this in a pejorative way but your acting skills are positively laughable."_

"_I don't know if anyone's ever told you before but you're incredibly rude." _

**What do you think is gonna go down at the partaaaaaaay? Long story... Longer chapter, too.. That much I can promise for the next update.**

**Also, if there are errors – there are probably dozens – I apologize but my go-to girl is busy these days. Do let me know so I can correct em. **

**Thanks for sticking with me, chicas!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Hadley Hemingway helped me out with this chapter and while she assures me it doesn't suck, I'm not completely convinced. Of course I've changed a bazillion things after she looked it over so all mistakes are mine. I'm super nervous for posting this chapter – which is one of the reasons why it has taken me ages to do it. **

**This chapter is dedicated to the beautiful Ange de L'aube. She rec'd this thing on TLS a few weeks ago! I'm honored that you thought my name could be sitting right there between WriteOnTime, KiyaRaven, Jennde.. Did I mention WriteOnTime? **

**Thanks to everyone who has rec'd this story.**

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**Chapter 4**

_**.**_

_**June 4, 2011**_

_**.**_

It would appear that the phrase "fashionably late" was not to be taken lightly; those are words to live by as far as Leah was concerned.

"Too early means too needy. People who don't have a life are the first ones to arrive." Leah explained as we got into Sam's Buick after she was satisfied that enough time had elapsed and we won't come off as people who desperately need a life. Thank God for _that_.

She chattered on about one thing or another, her hand intertwined with Sam's over the center console, unconsciously playing with his fingers. She carried out a mostly one-sided conversation with occasional murmurs of assent from me and head bobs from Sam. I wondered how two people who couldn't be more different find a connection so deep that they are practically one – one body, one soul, completing each other's sentences. Or in their case, Leah practically speaking _for_ Sam, since he was the silent type. It was similar with Mom and Dad, Rose and Emmett. They were yin and yang, yet they fit so well together. Now that I had decided to search for my _yang,_ I was impatient. I wanted what they had and I wanted it now.

The slight jolt of the car stopping at the entrance of the hotel disrupted my musings. I thanked Sam for dropping me off and when Leah looked at him quizzically, he told her that he had a surprise for her. I slid out of the car and ran my hands over the dress, hoping I didn't wrinkle it on the ride over.

Leah stuck her head out of the window, "Knock 'em dead, Bella!"

Shaking my head at her antics, I told her to call me.

I walked into the ritzy hotel with a small smile on my face. Nerves bubbled inside my stomach in anticipation of my first date in over two years. It was a little daunting seeing as I was so out of practice but I was excited nonetheless.

I had declined Paul's offer to pick me up tonight and we'd decided to meet at the venue instead. Now I was wringing my hands, and probably ruining the pretty silvery-gray clutch that was again, courtesy of Leah's half-sister Emily, as I looked for him in the sea of familiar faces.

My lips twitched when I saw Kate standing in one corner along with a bunch of suits, gesturing animatedly. I was just about to go say hi to her when my gaze met a pair of gray-green eyes across the room and my breath caught as I stopped mid-step.

Edward Masen was here and I was officially out of time. Does he think I'm rude because I didn't acknowledge his gesture? But he hadn't written his name. Wouldn't he have written his name if he'd wanted me to figure out the bouquet was from him? I wouldn't have found out if I hadn't had that epiphany.

_What do I do now?_

I started when I felt a hand deliberately meandering down my arm just as someone slid up behind me. I smiled when I saw it was Paul.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. You look positively stunning," he breathed into my ear, lightly tracing the curve of my spine and my heart fluttered.

"Thanks." I turned around to face him. He looked quite handsome in his fitted black suit with a skinny black tie. "You look great."

He grinned and held out his hand, "Shall we?"

"We shall," I smiled, taking his proffered hand.

He introduced me to a few of his co-workers – a short portly man named Lenny with a serious case of wandering eye, a blonde woman Lauren, who I could tell was quite beautiful under the scowl she was wearing and an overly-friendly, inebriated James. All the while, Paul kept his palm pressed into my waist and I found that I liked it.

"Where's Seth?" Paul asked James, as he glared at the arm James had sloppily slung across my shoulder.

James, oblivious of the warning in Paul's eyes, slurred, "You know his game. He's out there getting some p-"

"And who do we have here?"

"Seth!" James shouted in my ear making me cringe and Paul tightened his hand around me as James ripped his arm off my shoulder and wobbled towards the newcomer. He had short blonde hair and mischievous black eyes that were trained on me.

"Get away from me, man. You reek." Seth vocalized my thoughts, pushing James away. His attention returned to me then. He roved his eyes lazily over me and when his eyes met mine, they twinkled. Unlike Lenny's creepy gaze, his was friendly and not unsettling.

Paul cleared his throat, "Seth, this is Bella. My _date_." He eyed him meaningfully, "Bella, this is Seth Williams, my best friend and the resident flirt."

"Bella," Seth sang my name reverently and moved closer, "I swear I've seen you somewhere. Have we met before?"

"Really, Seth?" Paul mocked at the same time as I answered, "Oh, I'm an editor-"

"Ah, so you're one of Kate's chicks." He smiled brilliantly and offered me his hand. When I extended mine, he took me by surprise when he tugged me forward. I yelped and braced myself against his sturdy chest.

He chuckled and whispered, "You should know that you're the most beautiful woman in this hall right now."

"Cut it out, Seth." Paul chastised him lightly, swatting away the hand that was descending down my waist.

"Hey, I'm just demonstrating how to sweep a way-out-of-your-league woman off her feet," Seth teased him.

"Well I don't know about that, Seth. If that's all you've got, then you need to brush up on your skills, buddy." I goaded him.

"Oooh, _burn_!" James snickered like a teenager.

Seth's smirk grew more pronounced and he said to Paul, "Like I said man, _way_ out of your league."

"Miles out of _yours_," Paul retorted.

"_Eons_ out of yours," Seth shot back.

"Alright, kids. Break it up." I held up a hand, "Let's find ourselves a table and then we'll talk punishment."

"Feisty," Seth mumbled as we all began scouting the hall for a good place to sit. Before we could get any further in our endeavor, I was accosted by an intern.

"Hey, Bella." Alex appeared at my side.

"Oh, hey Alex."

"Do you think I could steal you for a few minutes?" While the question was clearly directed at me, he was stealing glances at Paul.

I smiled amiably and told Paul I'll join him in a few. Paul gestured toward the table Seth and his other colleagues seemed to have taken over, letting me know where to find him.

"You- uh- you look lovely." He said quickly and then proceeded to throw questions at me at a staggering pace. Alex was one of the over-eager interns, and even though I wasn't in charge of them, they seemed to flock towards me for advice. Leah thinks it's because no one else would give them the time of the day – herself included – but I couldn't, in good conscience, turn them away. So, like always, I answered him as best as I could and he took notes diligently.

"Thank you _so_ much, Bella."

"Oh, it was no trouble. Pop by my office on Monday and I'll proofread it for you."

He looked like he'd just won the lottery and thanked me about a million more times before I managed to get away from him.

When I joined Paul and his friends again, I sat between him and Seth. Lauren sat right across me and I really needed to find out what I did to her, because her glaring was seriously freaking me out. More than the Lenny guy who was staring at my breasts like it was his job. At least I knew what he wanted from me.

I tried to ignore them as we made small talk and I found that Paul was incredibly easy to talk to. He and Seth engaged me with stories about managerial crises while I regaled them with tales about clueless authors who didn't know their _you'res_ from _yours_. They laughed appropriately but I got the feeling that they were none the wiser about the finer points of the English language than the aforementioned writers. Then I told them about the time an editor had missed a very glaring mistake and if I hadn't butted in, a bestseller would have been a laughing stock. It read "She was _bustier _than ever_,_ so much so that she felt like she might explode." – the author had meant to write _busier_. They got that one, alright.

Having exhausted the banal work-related stories, it quickly became apparent that we had little in common except our place of employment. I had no idea about sports. He had never picked up a book of his own volition. For some reason, that irked me more than something that trivial should. I mean books are my life, not just my living. How can someone understand, not to mention appreciate my work if they avoid books like the plague? The antipasti took the brunt of my misplaced anger, as I stabbed it with unnecessary force.

Paul cleared his throat, preparing to say something I presumed, so I looked at him expectantly and found his eyes glued to the fork between my lips. My face heated and I lowered my gaze. Mercifully at that instant, Kate tapped a spoon against her champagne flute, standing on the slightly raised platform, garnering everyone's attention.

"Good Evening, ladies and gentlemen," She was vibrating with excitement as she addressed the party, "I'm so glad you could join us tonight. Norman & Norman, as most of you know, was a product of my midsummer night's dream, about twenty years ago. I've always loved words and I wanted to make sure that people get to read the words that are worth reading. My vision was simple and being an eyes-on-the-prize kind of person, I didn't even think about the obstacles. Unfortunately, whether you acknowledge them or not, hurdles are invariably present and if you don't look out, it's only a matter of time before you stumble. And stumble, I did.

"A few years back, one of my crazy impulsive decisions landed our much beloved publishing house in jeopardy. There were loan sharks up my keister and I had nothing to offer them. That is when Edward Masen came into my life, not quite a knight in shining armor – shining armors are overrated anyways," She paused with an amused smile as people laughed, "but he was an angel in disguise, well-versed in law-speak. He made the loan sharks eat their words and I have been in love with him ever since."

I did know about this because Kate loved to make fun of herself. I hadn't known about Edward's involvement, though. Kate had such a gift for words. She was making light of this now but I know she'd suffered a lot during that time.

"My Garrett understands that there is a part of my heart that beats for the young man now but he is secure in the knowledge that I am old-fashioned. And we're married." She added as an afterthought, smiling at the love of her long life, the debonair old man sitting at a table nearby who looked at her like she was his world.

"I have finally broken Edward down and he has agreed – reluctantly, I might add – that he will inherit my business after me." There was an eruption of murmurs after this announcement and Kate held up a hand, "Before you all hope – or fear – let me assure you that I am not dying." Then she frowned, "Let me rephrase that: I haven't been given a death sentence by my doctor yet, but I realize it's only a matter of time and since my publishing house is my only child, I want it taken care of after me.

"I wanted to change the name to Norman & Masen but he convinced me otherwise. How could I win an argument against the most competent lawyer I know?" She chuckled at herself, "Anyways, I'll let Edward introduce himself. I'm sure he'll do a better job than I would."

My heart beat a staccato rhythm as Edward took the microphone from Kate. He looked as good as I remembered in a charcoal gray suit, shiny Italian leather shoes, hair coiffed to perfection. His smile was disarming and it was doing mysterious things to my body.

"Thank you for those flattering words, Kate. You do make me sound angelic, though I assure you I'm anything but." A devilish smirk complemented his words, "The only thing I would accept credit for is getting rid of that ridiculous hat you used to wear."

Garrett bellowed a laugh at that and pecked lovingly at Kate's forehead as she pretended to be mad, while fighting a lost battle against her upturned lips.

"For those who haven't been around for long, Kate was terribly fond of an – erm – unbecoming 20s hat that she loved to death and I told her that no investor would take her seriously if she wore that thing while asking for money. People respond to the way you're dressed and they won't be able to look past that particular work of art to see her charming self. Thankfully, she was reasonable about it, if a touch resentful."

Kate sniffed with mock-indignation, her expression belying the mirth in her eyes.

"I am honored that Kate is willing to trust me with this business she built with her own two hands from the ground up." He gave Kate a grateful smile, which she reflected warmly, "One thing she forgot to mention while she was busy waxing lyrical about me was that she isn't retiring yet, thankfully. I know nothing about publishing and I'm too good at what I do to consider switching careers anyway," The curve of his lips screamed self-importance, "However, I am willing to play legal advisor to whomever Kate chooses to take her place." He looked at Kate then, "The floor's yours, Kate."

"So that's Edward for you and he might not admit it but he is the sole reason why Norman & Norman hasn't gone belly up, seeing as _I_ am the one running the business."

Some people laughed politely, while others like me, who were familiar with Kate's scatterbrained nature, genuinely chuckled.

"Thank you all for working so hard at what you do. Thank you Edward, for saving my dream," Kate said earnestly, then smiled beatifically, raising her glass, "Let's toast to men who have a penchant for saving damsels in distress. To Edward."

Everyone echoed the toast and drank to Edward, as did I.

"I won't take more of your time now. Let's partake of the fine wine and the delicious spread prepared for us tonight."

The dinner was, just as Kate promised, absolutely delightful. The mouthwatering grilled salmon almost made up for Lauren's relentless glowers. _Almost_. I excused myself to the powder room after I was done. Suddenly, the door was wrenched open loudly and I almost groaned when I saw Lauren scrutinizing me from head to toe.

"What are you doing here?"

"Welcome to the powder room, Lauren." I waved my arms around the ridiculously beautiful décor, "Women usually come here to touch up on their makeup or-"

"I know what it is." She huffed, "I meant what are you doing at the party? With _Paul._"

That threw me off for a second. I frowned as I contemplated over her question. I could feel the pieces of the puzzle falling into place but I didn't want to presume so I answered simply. "He asked me to be his date."

Unexpectedly, her eyes started to water and I could see that she was trying to hold herself together. She didn't want me to see her crying.

"But I- He- I've wanted him for so long." She sputtered, turning away from me, her hands stifling her sobs.

Before I could react to this unforeseen development my cellphone vibrated inside my borrowed clutch. It indicated an unread text message.

_**Are you alright, Bella? – Paul**_

"I _love_ him. I- I've loved him for three _years._ I- I can't- Oh God!" I hastily jammed the cell phone back in the clutch and decided the crying girl should be my first priority.

To say that I have never been here before would be an understatement. Not knowing the protocol of handling a love-interest of a potential love-interest, I proceeded cautiously and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

When she didn't repel my comfort, I got more confident and stroked her back, "I'm sorry Lauren. I didn't know. Does Paul know?" She shook her head and mumbled something unintelligible so I carried on, "because I'm sure he wouldn't have asked me out if he'd known. I mean you're a beautiful woman. I didn't know I'd be stepping on any toes by saying yes."

I kept speaking in what I hoped was a soothing tone and she finally calmed down. Her makeup was salvageable but I guess her ego was hurt, since she had wept in front of a stranger, who was also dating the man she loved. Not dating. Just a date.

_Oh God. This is turning into such a dramatic night._

My phone vibrated again, reminding me of my… _date?_

_What now?_

"I'm going to make an excuse and go now." I thought out loud, "I think you should talk to Paul, Lauren. I'm not going to say anything to him."

I met her red-rimmed eyes in the mirror and she gave me a timid smile.

"Have a good night." I waved at her with a smile of my own and walked out.

I quickly spotted Paul standing with his back to the wall, apparently waiting for me. When he saw me coming, he quickly straightened up and walked toward me.

"Are you alright?"

"I just don't feel well," I kept a hand on my forehead in such a way that hopefully he couldn't see my face. I was the worst liar.

"Can I get you something? Water? Ginger ale?" He sounded genuinely concerned and I felt guilty for making him worry.

"I –uh– Paul, I think –" I tried to come up with appropriate words to explain the situation to no avail.

"I'll bring water. Wait here." He took the decision right out of my hands and practically ran an old lady over in his haste.

_Oh, shit._ I scrubbed my forehead.

"To say that the guy is tripping over himself trying to please you would be an understatement. Not that I blame him." I turned around swiftly only to be faced by none other than Edward Masen.

"Miss Swan," he nodded at me, his eyes twinkling, "I have to say that you're turning quite a few heads tonight."

I had been complimented many times over the course of the night but I don't know what it was about him that set butterflies lose inside my belly. Like a dozen of them. Simultaneously.

"Well, I've heard people respond to the way you're dressed," I responded with his own words of wisdom.

He chuckled lightly, "The attire can only do so much, Miss Swan." His eyes took a quick inventory from my head to the heels, making me flush at the attention, "While the dress is definitely stunning, it's you wearing the dress that makes it worth the second glance."

The look in his eyes made my insides squirm, so I deflected, "If we're going to have a longer conversation Mr. Masen, I'd much prefer if you called me Bella."

"Very well, _Bella_." His lips quirked in the now-familiar smirk and my stomach was once again in knots. I didn't miss that he didn't ask me to call him by his first name. "If I'm not wrong, you were in the process of – shall we say – _ditching_ your date."

"I- How- You-," I stammered, unsure if he was too perceptive or just uncouth. Or both, in equal measures. He kept that sickening smile firmly in place. "You were eavesdropping?"

He was entertained and that bothered me. He always managed to push my buttons – buttons, I hadn't been aware of before I met him.

"Actually, no. It was the expression on your face that tipped me off." He was enjoying himself, the smug bastard.

_What, you read expressions, Mr. Lawyer Extraordinaire?_

"People are predictable – creatures of habit," He replied as if he'd picked the question right from my brain because I didn't remember uttering a single syllable, "It's a part of my job description to read people."

_Oh, really?_

He simply laughed at my disbelieving expression, "Alright, you want proof. See your date there doesn't like that you're talking to me. This is perhaps your first date – or if he's lucky, which I highly doubt, second – and he isn't confident that you like him the way he likes you." He gestured to where Paul was approaching us guardedly.

"Yeah, he's threatened by me," The look on his face was pure glee and I merely cocked an eyebrow at him.

"I promise you'll be able to get out of here fast if you let _me_ do the talking." Then he smiled down at me mischievously, "I don't mean this in a pejorative way but your acting skills are positively laughable."

_Okay, I know that's true but I'm never going to admit this to_ him. So I went with the offense, "I don't know if anyone's ever told you before but you're incredibly rude."

"Oh, I've been called worse." He grinned unscrupulously.

"Wonder why that is," I drawled, "And thanks for the offer but I'm no damsel –"

"I know," He repeated, "Just _trust me_."

My witty remark got lost as I gazed into his eyes. I saw a glimpse of something staggering for just an instant before the amusement was back. What was that? Was it just a figment of my imagination? I was intrigued.

I nodded in acquiescence and he beamed, immediately placing his hand on my waist.

"Lean on me." He whispered.

I'm not entirely sure if it was his hand on my body or his warm breath caressing my cheeks but it sent pleasant shivers down my spine and I complied wordlessly, inclining my head on his shoulder. He smelled heavenly – a clean, musky scent. Not overwhelming, just enough to draw unsuspecting women under his spell. I inhaled deeply, trying to be inconspicuous.

He laughed quietly, "You smell good, too."

_Here I thought I was being discreet_, I thought in embarrassment.

"Bella, is everything alright?" Paul asked me, giving Edward a dirty look.

"She's not feeling well. I'm going to take her home now." Edward said with such authority that even I believed him.

Paul disregarded him completely, "Bella? What's wrong? Kate is looking for you."

_I'm so, so sorry, Kate._

"I'll be alright, Paul. Edward will take me home. I'm sorry. And please tell Kate I'll see her on Monday."

I tried to sound sick but I ended up sounding like James, the drunk guy. Edward's shoulders shook with silent laughter.

"Yeah, sorry _Pat_," Edward sounded entirely too cheerful for the occasion and it was all I could do to not snort.

Edward led me away and before I knew it, I had my coat and we were heading outside.

"Thank you, Mr. Masen. I think I can take it from here," I retrieved my cell phone from my clutch, preparing to call a cab.

"I thought I was _Edward_," His eyes shone playfully and my body betrayed me as I blushed yet again.

"Didn't you realize I was _acting_?" I arched my eyebrow and he laughed.

"I'll give you that one –"

"How generous of you!"

" – _if_ you let me drive you home," He talked over me and promptly waved a valet over and showed him his parking ticket.

"Oh, please don't leave on my account."

"Bella, please. I was about to leave anyway." He looked at me with pleading eyes and I had no other choice but to accept.

"Ugh, fine," I huffed childishly, "But you should know that you are rude _and_ pushy!"

He snickered unabashedly, "So I've been told."

A sleek black two-door stopped before us and in an effort to keep my jaw from hanging open I blurted, "What, no limo?"

He snorted as he held open the passenger door for me. I sank into the leather seat and he waited until I was settled before closing the door and making his way towards the driver seat, unbuttoning his coat. The man had class. Bond-like car. Bond-like suit. Bond-like etiquette. Wow, he really was like James Bond. And I'm officially in fantasy land right there with Leah.

He slid into the driver's seat and revved the engine.

"Where to?"

"I thought you knew everything there is to know about me?" I retorted and immediately felt like like a petulant child for acting out. I mean the man had recited my biography like it was nothing when I went to his office but I didn't have to stoop to his level to show him how mean he was.

"I'm sorry," I said softly before rattling off my address. He only nodded and I found myself wanting to take my words back. I realized I liked him when he was entertained, even if his entertainment was at my expense.

I turned towards the window and watched the city speed away like a belt of fast-moving movie reel.

"So tell me, what kind of books do you like?"

My eyes widened at his question, "What kind of a question is that? You can't ask a mother if she favors one child over the other."

He laughed, "No, you can't. Because they always do have a favorite but they never want to answer. And you have to have a preference. Are you telling me you like every book ever written?"

"Fair enough," I conceded, "And I prefer contemporary literature to the classics."

"Really? I would've pegged you for a die-hard Darcy fan."

That made me giggle, "Well then you pegged wrong, didn't you, Mr. I-read-people?"

He regarded me unblinkingly which made me nervous, "What?"

"Nothing," he said and returned his gaze to the road. The car was silent after that strange exchange while I ruminated over his demeanor.

"Speak," he barked abruptly, making me balk at his tone.

"Excuse me?" I turned to him with every intention of giving him a piece of my mind. He looked at me a little weirdly and tapped his ear, which I realized had a Bluetooth device attached to it.

"Oh," I said stupidly, chagrined.

He gave me a brief smile before replying to the speaker on the other end, "Warner's a cunning businessman, but he's not an imbecile. He hasn't gotten to where he is without making enemies along the way. Tell him to rack his brains for anyone he might suspect. Also, grill his assistant. He's cagey. Looks like he knows more than he lets on." Then after listening to whatever the caller had to say, he asked, "Did he send you the employee records?"

He continued to talk and I took this opportunity to give him a onceover. His hair was short at the sides and long at the top, which he'd styled carefully. Neatly. His brows were furrowed as he mulled over whatever the caller was telling him. I never thought eyebrows could be considered manly or attractive, but his were both. They were thick but not overly so, dominating but not overshadowing the rest of his very handsome features. His nose was straight and pointed. His jaw was chiseled, right-angular and clean shaven. My fingers twitched involuntarily with the desire to touch and see if it was as smooth as it looked. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down mesmerizingly. His sleeves were pulled taut against the muscle as he effortlessly maneuvered the car.

"You aren't subtle, are you, Miss Swan?" He said and my eyes flew to his. His patented obnoxiously self-satisfied smirk made a long-awaited reappearance.

After considering denying it for a fraction of a second, I decided there was no point hiding when I'd already been caught. Red-handed.

"I wasn't trying to be." I told him truthfully.

His fiery eyes met mine for a second but it was enough to ignite my body to the bone. There was suddenly an inexplicable tension in the car, impossible to ignore. It was intense and palpable – almost another being. My breaths were shaky, the pores on my body dancing with expectation. His jaw tightened and the way he gripped at the steering wheel, white-knuckled, indicated that he was aware of this tension.

I was painstakingly conscious of every rise and fall of his chest, every fidget of his fingertips against the steering wheel, the dexterity with which he manipulated the gearstick, bringing his hand closer to my thigh. I realized with a start that I _wanted_ his hand to make the small journey from the stick to my thigh. I _wanted_ him to bring his hand over to my thigh and… _I wanted him_. A shuddery breath escaped my body just as he stopped the car in front of my apartment building.

He swiftly opened his door and took his time coming to mine. He opened my door and offered me his hand. He held my hand until I was out of the car and not a second longer. Our breaths were our only companions as we made our way to my apartment. The elevator ride up to my floor was fraught with the same tangible current that had accompanied us in the car. I exhaled in relief when it came to an end and all but ran to my apartment door.

I fished the key out of my clutch and deftly unlocked the door. I could feel him behind me but I didn't know what to do. Should I invite him in?

I turned to offer him a drink, as that seemed to be the best course of action but his gaze robbed me of words. His gray-green eyes were confounded – conflicted, as if there was a war raging behind them.

He stepped closer and I instinctively stepped back, pressing my shoulders to my door. He had yet to touch me but his smoldering gaze scorched me wherever it went – my eyes, my lips, my breasts and back. My heart was fluttering frantically, my insides twisting and turning, aching for the release his eyes promised. Suddenly, he blinked and it was as if a switch had flipped.

"I should go," he choked out, spinning on his heels and all but sprinted out of my sight.

Behind him, I was but a quivering mess of hormones, wondering what just happened.

* * *

**AN: Holy.. Yeah.. Who expected that?**

**I'm so terribly sorry for the uber-late update. I was just being a scaredy cat. I simply adore your reviews. You guys are the greatest. And to celebrate your awesomeness (who says that?!) I figure I should give you guys a little something. So I've decided to do an EPOV. And I leave the choice up to you. Which chapter, what scene - you say it, I'll do it. I was thinking it should be like the 100th reviewer gets to choose but then I figured it'd be unfair to the others. So how about we make it an unofficial poll? Right now, I've got a few ideas in my head - their first meeting or this chapter or the prologue. If you have other interesting ideas, hit me.**

**Again, thanks for your support and your love and your reviews!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hadley Hemingway deserves my special oatmeal cookies for all the trouble she went through with this chapter. You all deserve something equally scrumptious for waiting this long. **

_**Make sure you pay attention to the dates.**_

**.**

_**Previously on **_**Point of No Return**_**:**_

_He stepped closer and I instinctively stepped back, pressing my shoulders to my door. He had yet to touch me but his smoldering gaze scorched me wherever it went – my eyes, my lips, my breasts and back. My heart was fluttering frantically, my insides twisting and turning, aching for the release his eyes promised. Suddenly, he blinked and it was as if a switch had flipped._

"_I should go," he choked out, spinning on his heels and all but sprinted out of my sight._

_Behind him, I was but a quivering mess of hormones, wondering what just happened._

* * *

**Chapter 5**

**.**

_**January 10, 2012 (a few days before the prologue)**_

_**.**_

I had always loved the view from Kate's office – high-rise buildings standing regally, towering over each other in their quest to reach the sky. The sight had always inspired me; made me feel optimistic about my own ambitions.

Well, it used to.

Now, all I can focus on is their oppressive heights casting ominous shadows over everything around them. I gazed unseeingly at the sky, which is a blend of gray ash and purple bruises, reflecting my inner turmoil. These days, it felt like my world was tinged in a sorrowful hue and my thoughts were a barrage of what ifs.

What if he hadn't done what he'd done? What if he had told me before it all began? What if he weren't married? What if I wasn't the naïve and ignorant girl that I'd been? What if I had picked up on the signs that – in retrospect – were splattered across every memory I have of him? What if? What if? What if?

All these questions overwhelmed me day and night, bringing me to the brink of my sanity, robbing me of the dreamless sleep I so desperately needed. I felt weary and despondent and it showed in the slump of my shoulders and the dullness of my eyes, mirrored dimly by the glass on Kate's – _my_ – desk. I'm so glad I love my job; some days, I swear it's the only reason I make the effort to get out of bed. It wasn't too long ago when warm, wandering hands used to entice me out of slumber...

I shook my head vehemently to stop that thought in its tracks. My muscles tensed in preparation of the onslaught of anguish that was sure to follow. I sucked in a deep trembling breath, blinking my eyes rapidly to make sure that the wetness in my eyes didn't spill over. Looking down at my lap, I realized that a manuscript had been sitting there neglected for who knew how long. That had sadly become a regular occurrence. I zoned out for hours on end, staring at nothing.

_How did I get here?_

I rubbed my face roughly, not knowing how to get past this "post-breakup haze" as Rosalie called it. It was affecting my work now and that wasn't acceptable to me. Kate was counting on me. I grabbed the bottle of water from the desk and chugged it down greedily.

It's not like this was my first breakup. Jacob Black stole most of my firsts. Perhaps _stole_ is a strong word. I gave them to him willingly, with the exception of the breakup. He'd been a senior when I was a freshman and he was going off to California for his Master's degree. He didn't want to be tied down and I understood that. But understanding it and being happy about it are two different things.

I swear that wasn't as hard as _this_, though. Maybe because I didn't have to see him afterwards and pretend like my heart wasn't breaking all over again at the mere sight of him. Or maybe because we hadn't made any significant commitments. There was no accompanying sting of betrayal. No gut-wrenching agony that, the person I trusted unequivocally with my heart, body and soul, deceived me in the worst way.

So, while I wasn't exactly new to breakups, I was definitely a novice at heartbreaks. I felt aged and so, _so_ tired. I vaguely wondered if I'd find deep wrinkles entrenched on my face if I were to touch it.

"Bella?" I startled at the intrusion and it took me a few too many seconds than it should have taken to realize that the disembodied voice of my personal assistant was coming out of the intercom.

"Yes, Kelly?"

"Mr. Masen is here with the paper work. Shall I send him in?"

"Thanks, Kelly. Please, escort him in."

Whether she thought my amendment was strange or not, being the dutiful assistant that she was, I knew she would follow through without question.

I took a deep, drawn out breath and held it in for a few seconds before blowing it out. I straightened my spine out of the horrible slouch and lightly massaged the back of my neck.

_I love my job. I absolutely love my job. I love my job even though it makes it almost impossible to let go of _him_._

I stood up just as I heard the rattling of the doorknob. Kelly opened the door and held it ajar for Edward. I was sickly entertained by how much it must have been killing him to have the door opened for him, by a woman no less. He was imposing in his pinstriped black suit. I resolutely kept my eyes on his crisp white lapel, trying to ignore the silver tie I'd gifted him and deliberately avoiding the green orbs that always saw through me.

"Morning, Mr. Masen." I said, hoping I sounded formal yet pleasant and I think it was formal but pleasant. I hope.

"Morning, _Isabell__a._" My eyes flew to his, just as he'd expected, no doubt. I could feel heat blooming in my cheeks at the sound of the name he usually reserved for when we were... _intimate_. I looked away gritting my teeth.

_Get yourself together. Act professional._

I cleared my throat discreetly and filled the silence with the only words that came into my head, "Kelly, please bring in two coffees. You know how I like mine and black for Mr. Masen. Two sugars. Thank you."

"Sure, Bella." Kelly left quickly, no doubt sensing the tension in the room.

I gestured to the chairs on the other side of the desk as I sunk into my own seat. When he didn't react at all, I looked up at him to find him looking at the carpet, his thumb fiddling with the handle of the briefcase he was carrying. His other thumb was busy rubbing off his eyebrow. It threw me off because I had never seen Edward look so visibly discomfited. His awkwardness was almost more disarming than his self-confidence and it reminded me of… No, not going there.

"Mr. Masen," I took pity on him, "please, have a seat."

I waved towards the chairs and this time, he moved uncertainly and got seated.

"Thank you for bringing the papers, Mr. Masen. You could have saved yourself the commute by having them couriered," I told his tie.

"How are you?" he whispered softly.

"I'm fine, thank you," I answered automatically, fixing a superficial smile on my face.

"No, Bella," he said vehemently, once again forcing me to meet his verdant gaze, "_how are you?_"

"I said I'm fine," I replied icily, "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Masen."

"Bella-"

"Can I see the papers, please?" I held out my hand, desperate to redirect our conversation before I turned into a sobbing wreck.

I heard him sigh and then a moment later, he placed his briefcase on my desk and unlocked the latches to hand me the manila folder. I took it gingerly, carefully evading his fingers.

I opened the envelope and started poring over the legal jargon. It meant nothing to me. But the papers did give me a much-needed distraction.

"Bella, would-"

Thankfully, Kelly came in at that moment with our coffees and I could have kissed her for her impeccable timing.

I heard Edward murmur a "thank you" when she handed him his coffee.

"Thank you, Kelly," I said genuinely as she passed me my cup.

"Anything else?"

"No, thank you, Kelly. That will be all." I smiled at her but it waned when I saw the look of pity she was giving me. I had been on the receiving end of those quite frequently in the past few weeks and I didn't need any more.

"Mr. Masen, I'm going to have to ask you to refrain from calling me anything other than Bella or Ms. Swan in the future,"I told him sternly after Kelly had left us alone again, "We meet here in an entirely professional capacity and I would like for it to stay that way."

I looked him straight in the eye and even though the pain I saw there cut through me, I didn't blink. Not once.

_**.**_

_**June 12, 2011 (a few days after The Party)**_

_**.**_

"So let me get this straight. He's a lawyer."

"Mhmm."

"He's handsome."

_Understatement of the century_, "Mhmm."

"He's charming."

"When he wants to be."

"Don't ruin my fantasy, Bella."

_God forbid I ever do _that, "Fine, then. Charming as all get out. Rico Suave doesn't have anything on him."

"That's more like it." I could hear her smile through the phone, "So, where was I? Oh, yes, attractive lawyer. Charismatic personality. Oh, I bet he's hot! I'm imagining Ryan Gosling in Fracture. Yum!"

I rolled my eyes at her ridiculousness.

"Wasn't he able to _close_ you?"

I frowned in confusion, "What?"

"Didn't he, you know, _show you his books_?" She giggled suggestively and a light bulb went off in my brain.

"Ok, before you go any further than that-"

"Didn't you guys –uh– _negotiate the terms_? He come out _on top_?"

"Renee!" I groaned as she burst into peals of laughter.

My mother, ladies and gentlemen. Why did I have to confide in her again? She was one of my best friends but she was also worse than Leah and Rose put together.

I huffed and she chuckled, "Ok, ok. I was just kidding, Bella. But it seems like he more than likes you if he pressed you up against your door. Oh, my! When Charlie gets back from the station-"

"Oh God, Mom, please!" I scrunched my eyes, "I don't want to think of you and Dad like – having – that's just – ugh!"

"Sorry, baby. I'll try to rein it in."

"Please do."

"I think he's the one for you, Bella," she told me seriously and I snorted at the cliché. "If you see him again, wait for him to approach you. I mean it's only fair he come to you after leaving you so abruptly. Maybe he had to get to a meeting?" _Maybe_. "Or maybe his phone started ringing?" _Wouldn't I have heard it ring?_ "Or being the gentleman that he seems to be, he probably didn't want to be rough with you." _Yeah, right._

"Mom, you're getting carried away again."

"But he's _so_ dreamy!"

Cue the eye roll.

I listened for another half hour as she blathered on about lawyers and how attractive they are and how excited she is for me. She went on to instruct me on how to dress in a _demure but sexy_ way and ended with concocting an elaborate plan for _when_ I'd bring Edward home to "meet the parents".

She lives in dreamland, my mother. How Dad ever managed to get her head out of the clouds, I would never know. But then, he _was_ her anchor. He grounded her. The thought made me smile.

_What was I going to do?_

I groaned, reclining further on the couch and put my head back so that I was staring at the ceiling.

My thoughts were a mess after that intense – I don't even have a word for it. Stare off? Heavy panting session? There had been no touching. Just a mutual recognition of inexplicably strong attraction. Why we didn't act on those feelings is what confounds me.

I mean, I'm not one to throw myself at every man I was attracted to but being the impulsive person that I am, sex, however rare, has always been spontaneous for me. The fact that he ran away like Cinderella at midnight doesn't make sense to me.

I didn't want to acknowledge the thought, but it was possible that he had a girlfriend. Mom thinks that being a lawyer, Edward is probably a ladies' man – not one to commit or settle down young. I don't buy that. For one, Mom's only reference is movies and TV shows. And two, why else would he leave like he did?

I can't believe that he'd leave like this because he suddenly decided he didn't want me. I may not have felt his desire, but I had definitely felt its undercurrent. It was palpable. The look in his eyes. His face. His hands. His breaths. They were all very telling.

My heart raced just imagining his presence. The heady sensation of being in his proximity. I closed my eyes, squirming where I sat. If being close to him could leave such an indelible impression, I can't even imagine what touching him would be like. Or kissing him. Or more…

This time when I groaned, it was more of a moan as I imagined his touch where his eyes had been. My lips, the hollow of my neck, my breasts…

If just the thought of him could get me more aroused than I'd ever been in my entire life, I am in so much trouble.

_**.**_

Rosalie Hale-McCarty was never one to do anything half-way. So it came as no surprise to me that her freak out was one of epic proportions.

"He left me here, all alone. Like _this,_" she wailed inconsolably, waving towards her still-flat stomach.

She was being uncharacteristically theatrical and I was focusing all my energy on not rolling my eyes. Experience had taught me that wasn't something you want to do in front of an upset Rose, let alone a pregnant _and_ upset Rose.

I was tempted to point out that she had threatened the very thing that was the reason she was pregnant when Emmett had expressed his concerns at leaving her _like this_. He had to go to London for a two-day business trip. It was a very important potential client for his firm and the fact that they were trusting Emmett to handle that account only meant good things for his future. They had promised him partnership if he succeeded in closing the client.

Being the loving husband and protective expectant-father that he was, Emmett had voiced his concerns about being separated and she had pulled out the good old tough-Rose act, going as far as threatening to kick him out for even hinting that she couldn't take care of herself. And here she was, not one hour after Emmett stepped out of the door, bawling her eyes out.

Rose yanked a couple of tissues from the box in my hands and blew obnoxiously into them.

"He's probably sick of his _fat_ wife."

Rose was only 6 weeks along.

She wasn't even showing yet but I wisely kept my mouth shut. While the tears were unfamiliar, her ridiculous rants weren't new. She just needed a sounding board – an opportunity to vent, so I let her.

I put an arm around her and gently massaged her shoulder as she sniffled and mumbled incoherently between her bouts of misery.

"Ugh, I feel bloated. My ass has gotten so huge it wouldn't fit into any of my pants."

She blubbered some more against my shoulder and finally fell asleep. I was a little ashamed at being relieved to have a break from the incessant sobbing.

I suddenly jumped when I felt my phone buzz in the pocket of my jeans. I gave Rose a kiss on her cheek and went out to the balcony to answer the phone.

"How is she doing?" Emmett said without any preamble.

"She's convinced you're going to leave her when she becomes an ever-hungry, hiccupping hippo," I responded drily.

He groaned, "I knew I shouldn't have- "

"Bought her those ridiculously overpriced pregnancy books that are apparently filled with trivia that does nothing but scare first-time mothers?" I chipped in.

"-left her." Then he snorted, "Yeah, that, too."

"Seriously, Em. What were you thinking?"

"I have no idea, Bells." A pause, "I'm still at the airport. Do you think I should-"

"God, no, Em. This is your dream. You want to make partner at this firm and you're nearly there. Don't let her pregnancy-induced ridiculousness ruin it for you."

"But Bells, I'm worried about her."

"There's a first," I snarked but I was smiling.

"Bella," he whined.

"Emmett, I'm here," I said gently, "I'm with her until you step inside your house and see for yourself that your wife and the peanut she's carrying are perfectly fine. Ok? Please focus on your work and do whatever you lawyers do."

"Take care of her for me, Bells," he said quietly.

"Em, you don't even have to ask."

"I'm just-"

"A bonehead?"

My effort at making him laugh worked when I heard the light chuckle through the phone.

"Try not to worry too much. I love her, too, you know."

"I know. Thanks, Bella."

"Anytime. Anything for Rose."

_**.**_

_**June 13, 2011**_

_**.**_

"Lauren is nothing but a self-obsessed bitch," Leah said decisively after hearing how the non-date went. To be honest, I'd almost forgotten about the whole debacle in the aftermath of that thing with Edward.

That thing. Huh. I was an editor. I was supposed to be eloquent and the best I could come up with for those few moments of life-altering transcendence was "thing".

"She sounded genuine, Leah. And, I mean, I wasn't all that interested in Paul myself," I smiled, remembering how Edward had correctly guessed that it had been a first date.

"Ok, you're not telling me something." Leah was eyeing me closely. It was the first time after her engagement with Sam that we'd been able to sit down together for lunch. Last week, she'd been too preoccupied with the new addition in her jewelry to notice anything different. But today, I had her complete attention. Of course, she noticed.

"Promise you wouldn't freak out. Or start squealing. Or say anything -"

"I get it. I get it," she made a show of zipping up her lips.

"You remember that flower guy?" Her eyes widened and I could tell she was already regretting her promise of staying quiet. Her face turned red, as if she were holding her breath. She nodded, both of her hands covering her mouth. I looked at her, worried for a minute that she might pass out but then she motioned with her hand for me to continue.

"Well, I may have met him at the party." I didn't think it was possible, but her eyes grew even bigger. "He's Kate's legal advisor. And he is to inherit the business should something happen to Kate."

I frowned at that and she knocked the table to get me to continue.

"I- uh" I didn't know what to say, "I really like him, Leah."

Leah gasped and sputtered, as if this was her first gulp of fresh air after swimming for an hour underwater, "Oh my God, Bella. This is huge. You _like_ him. _You_ like him."

"Yes, Leah. The gist of it remains the same no matter which word you choose to emphasize in the simple, yet meaningful sentence."

"Oh shut up, Bella," she groused impatiently, "What's his name? What does he do- Ok, I know what he does. Did you guys talk? I want to know each and every thing. Tell me exactly what happened."

So I spent the rest of our lunch hour giving her the play-by-play of what went down up until he left me panting at my door.

"Wow. I mean… wow. That is _so hot_!"

I merely nodded in assent.

"It's like Clarke Gable and Vivien Leigh hot!"

I made a face, "I resent that reference."

Leah snickered knowing the extent to which I hated that movie. We walked a few blocks in silence before she broke it.

"Okay fine, what about Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams? The Notebook," she said reverently, sighing dreamily.

I groaned, recalling my phone conversation with my mother. Leah laughed along with me when I told her about how Mom _imagined_ Edward looked like Ryan Gosling.

"Gotta love Renee."

I shook my head, amused as we entered the office.

"Bella," Kelly, Kate's assistant looked relieved to have spotted me.

"Hey Kelly, what's going on?"

"Kate wants to see you."

"Oh, alright. I'll be there in a minute. Let me just grab my files." I hurried towards my office, Leah hot on my heels.

"Don't think for a moment we're done here, Swan," she motioned between us.

"Wouldn't dream of it!" I shouted, hurrying towards Kate's office.

I knocked twice and entered the chaos that was Kate's office.

"Bella!" Kate smiled widely, ushering me forward with her hands. I closed the door behind me and took the seat on the other side of the huge oak desk.

"Wow, you cleaned." I gestured towards the considerably decimated pile of books on her desk, "I can actually see your face when I sit across you now!"

"Well, I took your advice. The gradual erosion – layer after layer."

"Seems to be working wonders. What's the occasion?" Kate never cleaned. I mean _never_.

"Bella, you know how much I love this place." She ran her hand along her desk with a faraway look on her face.

"Of course, Kate. I mean this place is your life. Well, except for Garrett."

"You know me too well, Bella. Perhaps, because we are alike in so many ways. I see the same spark in your eyes that I always feel when I read a great manuscript. I see you guiding the interns in the right direction, being patient with cranky writers," a small chuckle, "going above and beyond to help put great words out there. I see.. I see myself in you, Bella."

I opened and closed my mouth a few times, wanting to say something but coming up empty. Kate had always lauded my work but this had to be the highest compliment a person can get from their mentor. I was having a hard time controlling my emotions, my throat constricting, my eyes watering.

"Kate, I- I don't-"

She held up a hand and stood up, coming over to sit in the chair beside mine. She delicately took my slightly trembling hands in hers.

"Bella, it's taken me thirty years to build Norman & Norman to what it is today. I've sacrificed a lot but I've never regretted it once. This place, as you so aptly said, is my life. It's also what my life amounts to. All those years worth of work. All the blood, sweat and tears. Literally and figuratively," she smirked, her eyes shining.

"I think that you are the only one who understands the depth of my love for this place, which is why I want you to be the one in charge after I leave. What do you say?"

I wasn't even trying to hold back my tears now. I couldn't believe what was happening. My elation was so consuming that I could only tighten my grip on Kate's hands as I tried to string a coherent sentence together.

"I- Kate, I'm speechless," I tried in vain to come up with some words that would tell her how grateful I was, "Are you sure you want me to do this? I mean there are so many people who are more experienced than I am -"

"Lord, Bella," Kate shook her head, laughing gently. She enveloped me into a tender embrace.

"Bella, you deserve this. Your experience doesn't matter. It's your passion for words that will take you far." She ran a motherly hand over my hair.

"Thank you, Kate. I promise I won't let you down." My voice shook but my gaze was steady.

"I'll see to it that you don't," she said in an exaggerated harsh voice. That served to lighten the mood a little as we laughed and she let me go with a squeeze.

"Coffee, please. Black. Two sugars. Thank you, Kelly," I heard a familiar voice coming closer down the hall.

My heart leapt as the door burst open, "Kate, have you ever heard of _technology_? There's a remarkable thing known as an intercom that- Oh, I'm sorry."

My face must have turned ten different shades of red as Edward Masen barged into Kate's office unannounced. I could vaguely hear the sound of Kate's voice filter through the thundering of my heart but, ridiculously enough, all I could think was that I likely resembled a drowned cat with smudged mascara all over my face.

"Excuse me," I squeaked out and fled the room as quickly as my wobbly legs could take me.

* * *

**AN: So... What did you guys think about the post-breakup scene? Any good?**

**I seem to have become the chicken that lays one egg a month. I'm really sorry about that but I've got a lot going on at the moment. I end up breaking my promises because I don't post when I say I'm going to post, so I'm thinking I'm not going to say when I'm going to post next. In other words, I'm probably going to continue the once-a-month routine, at least until my exams in June. Do keep in mind that I'm not a writer so it takes a lot of time to transform the images in my head into words.**

**P.S. Remember the sort-of poll I took last chapter about EPOV? Turns out, most of you want an EPOV of the prologue. I'll work on it but my first priority is obviously regular updates. Sorry about the longass AN *smiles sheepishly*. **

**P.P.S. Thanks for reading, reviewing, rec'ing, following and favorite-ing. Means the world to me!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Not beta'd. Didn't want y'all to wait even longer. Hope I didn't make too many unforgivable errors.**

**By the way, MizzezPattinson deserves to have my first EPOV dedicatged to her for rec'ing this fic on TLS. Thanks, chica!**

**.**

**Previously on _Point of No Return:_**

_My heart leapt as the door burst open, "Kate, have you ever heard of __technology__? There's a remarkable thing known as an intercom that- Oh, I'm sorry."_

_My face must have turned ten different shades of red as Edward Masen barged into Kate's office unannounced. I could vaguely hear the sound of Kate's voice filter through the thundering of my heart but, ridiculously enough, all I could think was that I likely resembled a drowned cat with smudged mascara all over my face._

_"Excuse me," I squeaked out and fled the room as quickly as my wobbly legs could take me._

**.**

**Chapter 6**

**.**

_**June 13, 2011**_

**.**

The relief I felt when I saw my face smudge-free was absurdly profound and I thanked God (and Leah) for waterproof mascaras. There was nothing wrong with my face, save for the Rudolph-red nose. And scarlet cheeks to match.

Running the tap, I wet the tips of my fingers and lightly patted my burning face. It felt good. I slid a hand under the collar of the cream blouse I was wearing and held it against my neck. An involuntary sigh escaped my lips at the coolness of the water and I closed my eyes as I slowly breathed. Inhale. Exhale.

I gazed at my flushed cheeks in the dust-speckled mirror and cursed my luck. Why is it that I seem to embarrass myself one way or another in the presence of Edward Masen? If I'm not making an epic fool of myself by barging into his office demanding answers I have no business knowing, I'm practically throwing myself at him like a harlot. Or he is walking in on me crying like a hormonal woman.

I groaned, feeling my face heat up all over again. I don't remember seeing him before that time in his office but now, he is everywhere I go. Literally. Everywhere. When he is not busy bursting into my life at inopportune moments, he is constantly starring in my thoughts and dreams.

It would be annoying if I hadn't come to realize that I liked him, because I did. And now, all I did was think about him, analyze his actions and reflect over the utter enigma that he was. He came into my life by happenstance and at first, I couldn't think of him as anything but the rude, seemingly jaded lawyer who could have been nicer to me. Then he had to go and get me that darned bouquet which equally confused and captivated me. Then _that night _happened and it was impossible for me to get Edward Masen out of my mind.

I wish I'd talked to Leah sooner. May be she would have given me better advice about how to approach this situation than my mother's "let him come to you." Rosalie would have, no doubt, given me a stay-away-from-him speech. I was so out of my depth here and I didn't know what to do. For the first time in a long time, I wanted to be with someone but I didn't know how to make it happen.

Maybe I should let nature run its course. Take the cues from him, for the time being.

_Yes_, I nodded to myself. That seems like a good place to start. Now I just had to wait for a sign from him. I just hoped it wasn't awkward between us after what had _not_ happened.

Having composed myself, I stepped out and headed down the hall towards Kate's office but stopped in my tracks when I saw him standing with his back to me, one hand attached to the cell phone he was talking into. He was listening intently to what the person on the other end was saying, and from my vantage point, I could guess that he didn't like what he was hearing.

I made myself small against the wall and didn't dare move. Clearly he was exasperated, but I was mesmerized. He was glorious in his anger, his angular jaw clenching and unclenching. I couldn't take my eyes off him if I tried.

"What are you implying, Whit?" He muttered through gnashed teeth, "We both know that I don't need to perjure myself to win. I don't tamper with evidence. I don't withhold jackshit. I operate with a certain amount of integrity and I don't like it when my integrity is questioned."

I watched in rapt attention as he used the thumb of his idle hand to trace his eyebrow. Then the tracing increased in frequency and it looked like he was scratching an itch. It was kind of adorable and I smothered a grin.

But _adorable_ wasn't the word I would use for him. Oh, no. He was far too sophisticated in his crisp coffee-colored suit and diagonally-striped tie to be called that. His short hair was, once again, coiffed to perfection. It was a strange mix of brown and golden, with a hint of red in it. He stopped rubbing his eyebrow and jammed that hand into the pocket of his pants.

"It's not _just a document_, Whit. It's a goddamn smoking gun. You think I could have missed it? I never saw the thing, but at least half a dozen other people worked with me on this case. Any one of them could have seen it," he was getting more vehement with every subsequent word.

The hand rubbing his eyebrow was back and I realized with a start that the unflappable Edward Masen was anxious. It was his nervous tic.

"_You_ worry about whom to fire, Whit. I've got bigger fish to fry." A short pause, "I'm going to reopen the case. I can't let things go on this way."

His voice was authoritative, oozing the confidence and self-assurance I had come to associate with him. It sent pleasant tingles down my spine.

"Carlisle can kiss my ass," I snickered at the absolute disdain those words were painted with. "This is not about the number of eyes that have perused the document. _I_ have seen it and _I_ am obligated to report it to the Bar. And even if I didn't have to, I want to."

He worked at rubbing his eyebrow off as _Whit_ said something and he was shaking his head before the other guy was even done talking.

"Whit, I don't think she had anything to do with this. This is strictly business and I don't think Peter lets his family defile their hands with-" he grimaced and I could tell that _Whit _was giving him a piece of his mind. I could hear the electronic intonation of a raised masculine voice but I couldn't make out the words being said.

Wait, there was a _she_? He was defending her. The irrational surge of hatred that reared its head like an angry dragon floored me. I didn't even know who he was talking about. Was I jealous?

Oh, my, was I jealous. I felt like I could have a hair-ripping, nail-digging cat fight with this mystery woman all because Edward thought she didn't have anything to do with… whatever it was that they were talking about. Maybe she was his girlfriend? A lover? My heart sank.

"Oh, I'll most definitely be exchanging more than a few words with Peter. You can be certain of _that_," he chuckled darkly and the sound made my stomach do cartwheels.

His brow furrowed and his jaw was getting a thorough workout, "Raging bull is right, Whit. I don't care-"

His lips pressed into a thin line.

"Yeah, well, I'm not known for being a saint," his lips quirked at something he heard, "You haven't thrown me out yet because I'm more than worth the pain in your ass."

"Carlisle is going to love this," he said with a wry smile. "No don't tell them yet. I want to tell them myself; I've got nothing to hide. You didn't think I'd leave you to deal with the wolves alone? Call a partners' meeting."

He shifted the cell to his left hand and slightly shook his right. An expensive-looking silver watch slid out from under his sleeve. He afforded it a cursory glance, "Five, then? Yes? It's settled."

Edward ended the call then and immediately began swiping its screen. He put the phone to his ear again and my conscience gave me grief for listening in on his private conversation but I couldn't get my feet to move.

"Alice, remember the conversation we had yesterday about Anderson Consultancy embezzlement suit? Yeah, I need you to go to the file room and find that document, as soon as possible. And be absolutely discrete. No one should get wind of what you're doing. No. One. Especially not Aro."

Alice… the name sounded familiar. I tried to remember where I heard that name and suddenly my mind conjured an image of the hyperactive, stylish pixie I had met in his firm. She was beautiful. Was she more than his secretary? I didn't like that one bit.

"You do this then we'll talk about the raise. Though why you need _me_ for that is beyond me. After all, Whit is in charge of finances," his eyebrow arched and a meaningful smile graced his lips.

_Oh, yes, please let her be with Whit!_

"Right. Cancel all my meetings for the day. Forget the phone," he made a face at whatever she said, "Then get a temp to cover for you. I don't care. Just- Alice, that document is the purpose of your existence until you find it," he said gravely and promptly pushed a few buttons on his phone and pocketed it.

His sizeable frame shook with the weary breath he blew out. Leaning against the wall, he shut his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose with knitted eyebrows. He looked despondent, his shoulders hunched. My heart went out to him. I wanted to go to him and place my hands around his neck and mold my body against his. I wanted to run my hands through the short hair at the nape of his neck and assure him that everything will be alright. I could practically feel his strong arms holding my waist, his breath covering my neck and his woodsy scent overwhelming my senses.

The impulse to comfort him was staggering in its strength and I stepped forward and spoke up without a second thought, "Are you alright?"

His head whipped around so fast I was sure I heard his neck crack. For a moment he was silent, his face flickering with unidentified emotions like the colors on a TV screen. Finally, he settled on being amused, which didn't surprise me at all. He loved making fun of me, as far as I could tell.

"Well, well, well. Look who's eavesdropping now."

My mouth dropped open as I tried to come up with a good defense. I mean I couldn't tell him that I was too busy ogling him to take note of what he was saying. Nope, _that_ is going to the grave with me. On second thoughts, I seem to vividly recall his reaction to the last time I admitted to unabashedly gawking at him…

Before I knew it, I was blubbering and blushing like an awkward teenager, "I- uh- I wasn't- I mean-"

He tsked, "Oh young padawan, I'm going to have to school you in the art of eavesdropping."

I snorted, "The _art_ of eavesdropping?"

I felt a thrill rush through me when he slowly made his way toward me, his shoes making a distinct clicking sound. My breath grew shallower with every resounding click.

"Of course, _you_ would know how to eavesdrop stealthily," I tried to distract myself lest I succumb to rambling yet again.

"You have _no_ idea," he chuckled darkly; his eyes no more than a foot apart from mine now.

It vaguely registered in my Edward-addled brain that with my back to the wall and him in front of me, we were recreating our last rendezvous. It sent my nerves into a frenzy, while my heart thumped as if it were determined to break out of my ribcage. I watched riveted as his Adam's Apple bobbed when he swallowed.

My brown eyes met his gray-green ones and I swore if those were the last things I got to see, I'd die a happy woman. His pupils were surrounded by flecks of gray with a hint of blue, while the outer ring of his irises was a tranquil green. The blend of colors reminded me of the picturesque background of Rose and Emmett's honeymoon photos – the beautiful Waikiki beachfront. They were exotic in their uniqueness but still somehow managed to convey a sense of familiarity.

"Your eyes are exquisite," I heard my breathy voice form the words but I wasn't conscious of making the decision to speak. My eyelids curtained my view as I mentally berated myself for divulging my thoughts without filtering them. I waited for him to laugh but all I could hear was the whispers of our synchronized breaths.

When I opened my eyes again, his were a shade darker – hypnotic, penetrating. My stomach coiled and I felt my skin pebble with gooseflesh. I could feel the rhythm of my pulse in every vein of my body. In this moment, it was only him and me and this all-consuming magnetism that drew us to each other.

I bit into my lower lip and my breath hitched when his gaze automatically dived down to my mouth. My eyes followed suit.

"Bella?"

He jerked away from me as if I had electrocuted him. I blinked my eyes rapidly, trying to find my bearings.

"Bella, are you- oh, Mr. Masen! You're done with your call, too. Kate wants you both in her office. We all know she gets ornery when kept waiting," Kelly tittered, unmindful of the chaos my thoughts had become.

Edward had done a better job at calming down than me. His smirk firmly in place, he waved a hand in the direction of the hallway.

"After you, Miss Swan," his eyes laughed at my obvious dazedness.

My eyes narrowed, _Oh, you cocky bastard!_

Confident that my pencil skirt did wonders for my form, I may have given an exaggerated sway to my hips as I walked ahead of him. Or a lot. I furtively turned my head sideways, under the guise of thanking Kelly while I really needed to see where his gaze was trained. His eyes seemed to be having a silent conversation with my ass. My lips twitched and I felt triumphant.

_Gotcha!_

Just as my hand touched the doorknob to Kate's office, his hand came on top of mine and he whispered, "Dark chocolate and hazelnut with a shot of caramel."

Perplexed, I turned my head and the muscles in my stomach tightened at his proximity. I bit my lip, afraid of voicing my encouragement, when I felt his hand glide along my spine as he moved closer still. Close enough that I could feel the warmth of his body but far enough that I couldn't feel the hardness of his body that I craved to feel against my back.

"Your eyes. The perfect blend of innocence," he blew into my ear, causing a loose tendril to tickle my neck. Flames rose from my core and licked their way up my body and into my face. I stopped breathing as my eyes fell shut.

His hand unhurriedly meandered further south until it rested just above the swell of my hips, "And desire."

My lips trembled with the effort it took to keep my appreciation contained. His other hand that covered mine on Kate's doorknob worked to open the door and faster than I could realize what happened, he had opened the door, effortlessly extricated himself from me and held it ajar for me.

I stared fixatedly at his shiny brown shoes and refused to meet his gaze for it felt like I might combust if I dared. I was grudgingly impressed by his uncanny ability to return to his perpetual calm state in no time at all. But then, I suppose, it was yet another attribute he could thank his vocation for.

"I swear you and your phone calls, Edward!" Kate's complaint broke through my haze.

"The business world might collapse if I stopped attending calls," he deadpanned.

I forced my feet to cover the distance between the entrance and the chair before Kate's desk and all but sunk myself into the nearest one. Kate snorted at his retort and turned her attention to me.

"Bella, dear. Are you alright?" she looked a little concerned as I'm sure I looked as dazed as I felt within.

I smiled tightly at Kate and nodded. I wasn't sure if my mouth was capable of producing coherent words quite yet. Edward took the chair next to mine, fluidly unbuttoning his jacket as he did so. The space between the closely-spaced chairs crackled with the energy between us.

"Good, good. So, to bring you up to speed, Edward, Bella has agreed to take over for me when I retire," she beamed at me and I tried to respond in kind.

"Wise choice, Kate. Congratulations, _Ms. Swan_," I blushed when I looked into his eyes and bashfully thanked him.

"Oh, would you two drop the Mr. Masen-Ms. Swan farce already," Kate huffed.

Edward chuckled and I couldn't help but smile, "Very well, Kate. So what was it that couldn't wait until tomorrow? Did you come across a map that will lead us to a treasure of doubloons?"

An involuntarily giggle bubbled through my lips at his ridiculous words and he looked inordinately pleased with himself.

"Pshaw. Doubloons! Next you'll ask me for an eye patch," she shook her head indulgently and then turned serious, "I've been thinking."

Edward muttered with a frown, "Why do I have a feeling I'm not going to like this."

"You know Black Wood?"

My eyes widened in recognition as Edward's scowl deepened, "Black Wood as in Black Wood Publishing?"

"You know what she's talking about?" He looked at me incredulously.

"I know of them, yes. They have published books like _Inside the Tree House_ and _Stranger_. Although, I can't say I care much about their latest publication _Deepest Desire_ – a complete waste of paper as far as I'm concerned," my nose scrunched remembering the abhorrently graphic sexual content without much intellectual matter involved. However, some of the positions… let's just say, I wouldn't mind a little experimentation.

"Oh, I agree, my dear. Plot-less porn, that's what it was," Kate agreed wholeheartedly.

I heard Edward conceal his laughter with a cough and my cheeks reddened.

"But then a charming young man from Black Wood came to me a week ago and we talked at length about-"

"Oh, please tell me this is not happening. Tell me you didn't do a handshake deal."

Kate smiled sheepishly and Edward groaned, palming his face. Now I was the confused party as I looked from one to the other.

"Will somebody _please_ let me in on what's going on?" I requested.

While Edward kept on mumbling about _crazy, pain in the ass clients _and _damage control_, Kate took pity on me and explained, in so many words, how she agreed to a merger with Black Wood.

"But, Kate, _Black Wood,_" I enunciated slowly, making sure my tone seeped with distaste. "I mean it's not like I have a say…" Kate's furious expression had my voice trailing off.

"What do you mean you don't have a say? Of course, you have a say! Didn't we just talk about you taking over? Well, if I wasn't clear enough before, I should let you know that as of now, you are privy to any and every business plans we may have and you have every right to question or contest said plans. I will have Edward draw up a new contract for you but in the meantime, let my word be the law."

Edward groused at that, "Your word should be the _antithesis_ of law!"

As if his use of antithesis wasn't enough of a turn on, he turned to me and smiled, "And rest assured, this has nothing to do with what she just said. That's about the only sane thing she's said in the past half hour!"

Then he went back to glaring at Kate, "What did I tell you about making impulsive decisions?"

"But it's a really good deal, Edward and I have always wanted to expand. I got a chance and I jumped at it." Kate implored with her eyes for him to understand, hands held up in a conciliatory gesture.

"How do you know it's a good deal? _I'm_ here to determine which deals are good for you. It's _my_ _job_ to find you the best deal possible, Kate," he was getting extremely agitated and his eyebrow was getting the brunt of it. "You jumped? You may as well be diving down a cliff into turbulent waves and -"

He stopped talking then and looked at me strangely. I didn't even realize that I had taken the hand mutilating his brow and was currently holding it in both of mine.

"I'm sorry," I let his hand drop, feeling the loss of its warmth somewhere deep inside. "I just- you were- are you alright?"

He let his eyes drop shut and rubbed his hands over his face. He looked distraught and I could guess that he had a lot on his mind. I wanted to reach out and smooth the crease between his dark eyebrows. It would seem that this wasn't typical Edward behavior because Kate quickly came around her desk and put a soothing hand on his shoulder before I could so something to humiliate myself any further.

"Is everything okay? Is it-" she spoke softly.

"I'm sorry, Kate," he looked up abruptly. "I didn't realize I was-"

"Please," she waved off his apologies, "Think nothing of it. I just want to know if you're going to be alright."

"I'll be alright, Kate," he smiled at her, then. A genuine smile and my heart hammered when the smile was directed at me.

"We can talk about this some other time. I think you should go home and rest," Kate fussed.

"Quit babying me and regale me with this exciting merger conversation you had with this guy."

And Kate did just that but I couldn't concentrate on a word of it if my precious collection of books depended on it. I was too busy reveling in the delicious warmth of his hand that was accidentally _on purpose_ brushing against mine.

**.**

_**July 1, 2011**_

**.**

I feared I was losing my mind.

I kid you not. It was quite possible that I was completely out of my mind. Edward would be the death of me. He was a riddle of the worst kind. The kind you didn't know the answer to but it kept you up at night speculating, pondering, questioning.

For two weeks, he has been dropping by the office every other day. My belly flutters and Leah waggles her eyebrows obnoxiously when Kate summons me to her office. Kate and I discuss the potential pitfalls and ramifications of the _friendly acquisition_ with him. He greets me with a dazzling smile and then goes on to avoid looking in my general direction for the rest of the meeting.

Oh, he looks at me, don't get me wrong. I can always feel his stare when I'm talking but he never makes eye contact. He asks for my opinions while rummaging through his briefcase. He answers my questions about mergers versus acquisitions while adjusting his tie and tells me that the one with Black Wood is definitely an acquisition while playing with his cufflinks. But when I turn to Kate, his eyes are on me – and on my calves on days when I choose to wear pencil skirts.

And without fail, every time he comes to the office, I would find a single flower on my desk. The dried kind. They're beyond beautiful – a different one for every visit. I don't even know what any of them is called but they have a special place on my bedside table. And as I lay in bed, gazing at my growing collection, I couldn't remember the last time I was so disarmed by a guy. I hung on to his words, even if half of those were legal terms beyond my comprehension. His smiles made me smile. His eyes on me were almost as good as his touch. Almost, but not quite.

_Oh, how I longed for his touch. _

I craved the smallest contact – anything at all. Clearly I was desperate if just a stroke of his hand against mine was the highlight of my month. He makes me feel things I haven't felt before and though that scares me, I still want to explore _this _- whatever is between us. But if he had his way, I'd probably be thirty before he kissed me.

I huffed and fluffed my pillow a little.

Sometimes, his lack of action in pursuing me made me question if he even wanted me. Surely if he wanted to kiss me, he would have done it already. Frustratingly enough, since that day in Kate's office, he has been unfailingly polite and gentlemanly. Too gentlemanly.

I'm surely no lady and this isn't the _chaperoned-dates _nineteenth century and last time I checked, he didn't have English roots. Why was he resisting this then? This undeniable pull between us.

"Ugh!" I buried my head into the pillow, wondering -with a blush- how it would feel if I could smell Edward on it.

I don't know about him but there are three things I was positive about.

First, there was something powerful between us – a palpable chemistry that could become something great.

Second, I wanted nothing more than to explore this connection between us.

And third, I was done waiting on him to make the first move.

.

**AN: So, whadya think? **

**My advisor gave me hell this past month and I really need a little love. Drop me a review and let me know you're still with me. Yes, I know, I'm being all needy but come on... pretty please! :)**


	8. Chapter 7

**No, you're not seeing things! This actually is an update!**

**You guys made my day with your lovely reviews! I adore each and every one of them. So I say to myself, Nat, they gave you the love, now how're you gonna reciprocate? Here I am, with a super-early update (by my standards, anyway). So yeah, this is my thanks to all of you for sticking with me and leaving precious little reviews.**

**Another glimpse into the "Now". Lookout for the date stamps.**

**Warning: Not beta'd... it might suck!**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

**.**

_**January 2012 (around the prologue time)**_

**.**

_I smile when I feel him breathe deeply, his nose buried in my hair. He loves the smell of my shampoo and he tells me every time. _

It's fruity_, he says, _pineapples and pears_. _

_I snuggle deeper into the warm cocoon of his arms, soaking up his adoration like a kitten. Our naked legs are tangled together, the blanket twisted by our feet. One of my hands is wound around his waist and the other rests on his well-defined chest where his heart thumps steadily. _

For you_, he assures me, _it only beats for you_. _

_His lips press feather light kisses against my hairline as his gentle hand glides through my hair, brushing the unruly tangles along the way. It's soothing and it should relax me but I'm deliciously wound up because his other hand is under my night shirt and- _Oh! _The things he does to me. _

_I clench my thighs together as arousal pulses through me. His fingers whisper across my flat stomach and I moan when he toys with the edge of my underwear. His lips claim mine and our tongues reach out at the same time, perfectly in synch._

_Suddenly my night shirt is gone and he is pressing me into the down mattress. I feel him everywhere – he_ is _everywhere. He nuzzles my neck, teeth scraping along the curve before he stops and sucks hard. __My head falls back in pleasure. _

_It hurts so good. I want to tell him that. Instead, I pull him closer and hook my ankles around his back, running my hands up his muscular back. I scratch him along the way and he grunts against my hardened nipple. His hands slide down my waist and he cups my ass. Squeezing slightly, he moves lower, taking my panties with him. _

You are a vision, _he tells me. _Perfect in every way.

Perfect for you_, I say. _

Damn right, you are, _he says, his hooded gaze burning me._

_Then he throws my legs over his shoulders and my coherence flees because his lips are right where I need him the most and –_

"Urhghgf," I'm panting as I wake up. Disoriented, I blink groggily as I feel sweat trickling down my back. I stare at the ceiling listlessly as my insides throb, wanting something I seem to be incapable of giving. My vision blurs as my eyes fill with tears but I know they aren't going to fall. It's like I'm out of tears now. My tear ducts only lend me enough moisture to wet my eyes. I've wasted too much. Too many tears.

These days, slumber was my only relief. Consciousness brings with it the agony that steals my breath away and rips my insides. My thoughts were my constant enemies and I wished I could escape their attack. Relentless and persistent. The only respite was sleep. But accompanied by dreams like this, I couldn't decide which was worse.

The thoughts eating away at me all day or the dreams, transporting me back to a time when I was the happiest; when all I wanted was him; when he was mine – even if it was just an illusion. I'd been blissfully ignorant; hopelessly in love.

Sometimes I wish I would get nightmares. Horrific, gruesome, ugly – like the truth. Consciousness would hurt a lot less if it released me from an unpleasant vision. As it stands though, I'm plagued with sweet dreams; dreams that I can't afford to have, if I value my sanity at all.

_Not anymore. Not after what he did._

It was a strange juxtaposition – my conscious mind refused to remember but my unconscious mind refused to let go.

**.**

_**July 2, 2011 (back to the past)**_

**.**

I felt like I was getting baked. _Literally_.

Having your air conditioner break down in the midst of a heat wave… _sucks_, for lack of a better word. I twisted and turned in my bed wearing next to nothing, desperately trying to get some shuteye but the sweltering temperature was too uncomfortable – even for the Sandman, apparently.

Giving up altogether, I got off the bed and gathered my damp hair in a messy bun, and rummaged through my bedside drawer for something to tie it with. I secured the knot in my hair with a pen and rubbed my eyes blearily. My bed was a riotous mess with the honey-colored comforter lying half off the bed and the slightly darker bed sheet scrunched up in places. With a wistful sigh, I pulled the comforter back in place, wishing the condition of my bed was due to an actual playing out of one of my more risqué Edward-starring fantasies.

_If only._

Once the bed was restored to its pristine state, I left my furnace of a bedroom in search of something cool. It was, perhaps, the first time I was glad that Rose had moved out when she had. I couldn't have wandered around in my panties so freely if she were still here. I made my way across the apartment to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. The cool air wafted across my body and I moaned gratefully as I reached for the half-consumed tub of Ben and Jerry's.

_Chocolate Therapy_ was the solution to half the world's troubles, as far as I was concerned.

Taking the tub to my sofa, I switched on the TV, letting South Park reruns win over Sex and the City. I dug into the dessert with gusto and guffawed like a teenager at the crass jokes. About halfway through the second episode, I heard another noise. I muted the TV to make sure I wasn't just hearing things. Sure enough, a muffled tune was ringing from somewhere in my apartment. My brows furrowed as I looked at the clock hanging over the TV. It was three in the morning. Who would be calling me at this time? Not a social call, of course.

_Dad? Renee? Rose? _

My heart leapt in my throat and I jumped off the couch, almost knocking off the ice cream container. Setting it on the coffee table, I ran in search of my phone, which had stopped ringing during my ruminations.

Not on my bedside table. Not in the drawers. Not in the bathroom cabinets. The ringtone grew louder as I entered my office cum guest bedroom and by the time I grabbed my purse resting on the table, it had stopped ringing.

"There you are," I said out loud when I found the dratted thing sandwiched between my compact and diary.

_19 missed calls_. All from Rose. My stomach dropped.

_Shit._

I dialed her number at once but she wouldn't pick up.

"Oh God, please let her be okay," I prayed while dialing again and again to no avail.

Desperate for some kind of reassurance, I called Emmett and thankfully, he picked up.

"Baby, please open the door. I'm so sorry. I told you-"

I frowned as the implication sunk in and before I knew it, my teeth were bared, "What did you do?"

"Bella?" His voice was anxious, which automatically put me on edge.

"Yes. It's Bella. And if you don't tell me what you did, I swear an angry pregnant woman would be the least of your troubles."

I had come to love Emmett as a good friend but Rose was my best friend – as close to a sister as I could possibly have. She put up a strong, impenetrable front but inside she was fragile. I knew her like no other and I had seen how long it had taken for her to be able to trust Emmett. If he had done anything to betray that trust, so help me God. I wasn't quite sure how I would make good on my threat. Perhaps I could put my Oxford English Dictionary to good use – all twelve volumes that I owned. Or give my Dad a call. He was even more protective of her than I was.

"Bella, would you listen to me. Please come here. No, wait. How're you going to come? Don't come. Just- ugh… she wouldn't talk to me and she has herself locked inside our bedroom. I'm so worried about her." The words coming out of Emmett's mouth were nonsensical at best but they did nothing to curb the dread pitting inside me.

"What. _The fuck_. Did you do?" I demanded, at the end of my patience.

He stumbled through an explanation of how his trip to London was successful but he's going to have to move there for a few months to see the negotiations through.

"Rose freaked out and shut herself in the bedroom. I just- Bella, I'm scared."

Feeling marginally less hostile, I asked, "Why isn't she receiving my calls?"

"She won't pick mine, either. She probably smothered the thing dead."

"It's different when you call her. She doesn't want to talk to you. But she called me and when I called back, she wouldn't pick up." I wiped a bead of perspiration off my forehead.

"Do you think she's okay? Should I break the door?"

"What? No, Emmett. I'll get off the phone with you and try calling her again. Leave her alone for the time being. Let me talk to her and then I'll call you back."

"Oh, thank you, Bella. Thank you so much," he thanked me fervently.

"I'm not doing it for you. And you should know, you're still not off the hook," I ended the call and tried Rose's number again. This time, she picked up.

"Bella?" her small voice broke my heart.

"What happened, Ro? Are you alright?"

"I'm- Can you come get me, Bell?" her voice quivered.

"Oh, Ro, I'll be there as soon as I can. Just hang in there."

I quickly put on the first T-shirt and jeans I could find and called Emmett.

He answered the phone with "What did she say? Is she alright?"

"Pick me up. _Now_. My dad would have a heart attack if knew I went alone in a taxi at four in the morning. He's very skeptical of public transport in the Big Apple." Well, he was very skeptical of everything in New York, but that's beside the point. He kept quoting the crime statistics to me, hoping I would change my mind about the city and come back to Seattle.

Half an hour and a deathly silent drive later, I was knocking on Rose's bedroom door.

"Rose, honey, it's me."

"Bella?" she sniffled from inside.

"Yeah. Open up, sweetheart."

"Kay"

I heard locks clicking and the next second, the door creaked open, just a sliver. She didn't want to see Emmett or for him to see her.

"Don't hover," I quietly chided him over my shoulder and let myself into her room.

The first thing I noticed was the duffel bag sitting on the bed overflowing with her belongings. When I looked at her, my heart went out to her. She was biting her lip, her blue eyes rimmed red.

"Oh, Rose," I shuffled forward and hugged her with all my might, "we'll figure things out."

She sagged against me and I let her cry as I caressed her soft golden locks.

.

"He needs to go," she said, after what felt like hours of me consoling her. It wasn't a far off assessment because morning light was beginning to peek through the airy beige curtains.

"It's what he's always wanted. He wanted to make partner and he's made it happen. Now he has to do his job and go to London."

I kept quiet; running my hand from the crown of her head to the small of her waist in what I hoped was a calming motion.

"I don't want to stop him. It's selfish. I don't want him to go, because then who'll take care of me. Of our baby," she whimpered as she put a protective hand over her stomach. "But I want him to go for himself. Because this is his dream; this is what he's been working himself ragged for. He shouldn't have to choose his career over me. He should be able to go without feeling weighed down by me. He should go, period. I'd never forgive myself if he didn't."

I didn't even bother to ask Rose why she can't go along with him because I knew. Rose has always been fiercely independent and the thought of following a man blindly has never been her modus operandi. Besides, she wouldn't leave her business partner to fend for herself. She had built a thriving software consultancy business along with one of her NYU classmates, Irina. Rose couldn't bail on her and she wouldn't because that's who she was.

"Then why lock him out, Ro? Talk to him. Tell him how you feel and give him the opportunity to speak to you, as well."

"I just didn't think I could say anything without crying. I didn't want him to see me cry," tears leaked onto my already tear-wet shirt.

"I want him to go but I'll miss him so much, Bella. He's supposed to be with me through this," she punctuated this by putting my hand over her hardened belly.

"Honey, you should be talking to Emmett about all this. Hear him out. For all you know, he may not want to go at all and this whole conversation would be moot."

"No!" she pulled back and looked at me with a deep frown. "He _has_ to go. I don't want him to have any regrets later in life. I don't want to hold him back."

"It would be his choice, honey," I said gently, "His decision. You guys really need to talk, Ro."

She closed her eyes and nodded as more tears dripped down her chin, "You're right. Just not- not now. Take me home with you, Bella. Please."

"Sure, honey. Whatever you say." I hugged her close to me again.

The next time I opened my eyes, Rosalie's bedroom was awash with brilliant sunlight and she was asleep beside me. The alarm clock on the bedside showed me it was a little after two in the afternoon. Yawning, I got up and padded out of the room, gently closing the door behind me.

I found Emmett with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands, sitting on the red couch. I put a hand on his shoulder and his head shot up quickly. His eyes were bloodshot and my heart ached for my friends.

"How is she?" his voice was hoarse, "She wouldn't let me talk. I swear I won't go, Bella. I _can't_ go. How can I be away from her? Especially when she's carrying my baby. It's like my love has doubled for her because there's two of them now and I-"

He choked on his words and it was just too much for me. Staying up the whole night. Being strong for Rose. Seeing this large man crumpled over with grief. Suddenly, it was all too much and I couldn't hold it in any longer. I put my head on Emmett's shaking shoulder and we both cried for a while, letting our pain leak out of our tears.

"When do you have to leave?" I asked after taking a long breath, trying to steady myself.

"Next week," his voice was rough with emotion.

"For how long?"

"Four months, at the very least. These things take time. I'll have to oversee the auditing and then- well, you don't need to know boring lawyer stuff."

I smiled faintly at his feeble attempt at humor.

"You know I can't live without her," he looked me in the eye, his expression grave and I could see that he meant what he said.

"I know, Em. And she can't be without you either. But just- listen- you guys really need to talk about all this. I can't be caught in the middle of this. I can be there if either of you want me to be, but it has to be you who tell her how you feel about it and she who tells you how torn she feels." I swept a tear off my cheek.

"What do I do?" His voice was agony and it ripped my already broken heart to shreds but I held on for his sake.

"Give her time, Em. She wants me to take her to my place and I'm going to do just that," when he opened his mouth to protest, I raised my volume a bit, "I know you don't like it but you don't have to. It's her decision, Em. You have to respect it."

"She can go," he croaked, lips quivering, "if that's what she wants but I can't let her to go away like this. We should talk first."

"Em, I agree with you, I do. But don't make it more difficult than it has to be for her. Let her come to my place for now. I swear if she doesn't talk to you within this week, we'll rethink the situation and do something about it. Just don't force her to talk when she's not ready. We both know how that could turn out."

"You're right. I just- I can't see her walk away from me. I'm going to head out, then."

I nodded and he hefted off the couch, bending down to kiss my forehead, "Take care of them, Bella. I wouldn't trust them with anyone else."

And with a soft click of the door, he was gone.

**.**

_**July 6, 2011 **_

**.**

"Hi, I'm Bella Swan from Norman & Norman Publishing House. Can I speak to Diana Morgan?"

There was a quiet gasp on the other end of the phone and I smiled. I loved this part of my job. Discovering new talent. Every first time writer was first shocked and then excited to hear from us. Letting them know that they had been _found_, so to speak, made me giddy for them.

I heard a muffled squeal and I grinned.

"This is she," she replied formally and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Well, Ms. Morgan, I'm calling to inform you that I stumbled upon your manuscript and I believe, with a little tweaking, we can create something great. What say you?"

"Are you kidding me? Where do I sign up? I mean- uh- of course, Ms. Swan," she altered her outburst halfway through it and this time, I laughed in earnest.

"Go ahead and call me Bella. I'm sure we're going to be working closely soon enough, so we better get acquainted. No need to sound like you've got a rod up your ass."

She giggled and then I joined in, too.

That's how it went. We talked about her book. Her mysterious protagonist, Adrian. Some of her ideas. Some of mine that I think could help her make it better. She didn't have a literary agent and I promised to get back to her with a few recommendations. We ended with setting a place and time for meeting and I applauded my gut instinct. I knew we'd hit it off.

"Kate wants you in her office, Bella," Kelly sang just as I was setting the phone down and as expected, Leah poked her head over my cubicle next minute with a mischievous expression on her face.

"You know, I 'm a little disappointed in Bond," Leah had taken to calling Edward "Bond" because of his attire and because he always managed to stealthily place dried flowers on my desk.

I arched an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation that was sure to come. She didn't disappoint.

"Oh, you know, Bond is supposed to be so smooth. He always gets the girl. Or _girls_, I should say," she emphasized the plural, "But I don't get it. He hasn't made a move yet. I mean… what the hell? At this rate, you will be picking up your breasts off the floor before he asks you out."

I couldn't tell her that I agreed with her because I would never hear the end of it, so I settled for sarcastic humor, "Leah, for a straight _engaged_ woman, you have a questionable fascination with my boobs."

She barked a laugh and then leered at my chest obnoxiously, "You're quite well-endowed in the boob department. And this top," she wolf-whistled, "Damn!"

"Shut up!" I laughed, leaving her behind in my cubicle as I headed for the meeting in Kate's room. I ran a hand over my cerulean tee. It did make my boobs look good. Renee would be proud.

"Bella, did you call Diana?" Kate's breezy voice welcomed me into her office.

"I did. She was absolutely delightful. Hi Edward," I nodded at them both, surreptitiously eyeing Edward in his light gray pinstripe suit.

"Bella," the side of his lip curled into a smile as he hid his head behind his briefcase. The usual. What wasn't ordinary, however, was that he actually did find something in his briefcase this time and handed a black folder to me.

"Here you go. Your new contract. Have your lawyer go over it and you'll have to sign here and here," leaning over, he indicated the places with his pointer finger as I tried to inconspicuously fill my lungs with his scent.

Then I grimaced, thinking my lawyer was not in a state of mind where he could advise me on the legal aspects of my renewed contract.

Edward misinterpreted my silence, "There's not a lot that we changed and obviously, there's nothing underhanded going on but I'd advise you to read it thoroughly. Don't miss the fine print. I would offer to do it for you but that poses a conflict of interest since I represent Norman & Norman."

"Yeah, no, I understand. It's just my lawyer is- well, he-" I shook my head, not knowing how to explain why I couldn't pawn off my issues on Emmett when him and Rose had bigger problems of their own. "I'll handle it. Thank you."

Kate looked up from the manuscript she'd been immersed in and slapped her forehead, "Oh how forgetful of me. Bella, we're going to have a business dinner with the Black Wood people. You don't happen to have a date around six tomorrow?

"Six?" I frowned as I tried to remember the time Rose had scheduled her ultrasound. In my periphery, I saw Edward stiffen.

"Ohho!" Kate's exclamation made me jump in my chair, "You have a date?"

"What? No, Kate." Edward relaxed by my side and I smiled inwardly. I finally got a reaction out of him after ages. He _wasn't_ as indifferent as he seemed to be. "Rose has been staying with me and I was trying to remember the time for her ultrasound appointment tomorrow."

"Rose is expecting? Well, that's fantastic! Give her my love. What with the perfect genes from her and Emmett, their babies are going to be beautiful, no doubt… I just hope they don't emulate their father's size!"

I laughed along with her.

"Anyways, as I was saying, be ready at 6 tomorrow. I'll pick you up on my way. Dress to impress, not that you don't already. You on the other hand," she turned to Edward, and assessed him critically from head to toe, "leave much to be desired. Pinstripes, Edward? Really?"

"Hey!" Edward objected, squaring his shoulders, "I'll have you know that pinstripes are a fashion statement!"

"Yeah, only if you live in the 90s."

I snickered as Edward bickered with Kate. I planned just which dress I would ask to borrow from Emily. After all, I needed to dress to impress.

Edward won't know what hit him.

When I got back to my cubicle, I found a dried rose bud... and two Hershey's Kisses. It reminded me how he complimented my eyes... Chocolate... _Desire._

I popped one into my mouth and got to work. _He may be subtle but when I declare my desire, I'll be anything but._

* * *

**AN: Bella has plans… How do you feel about that? Was the chapter too rocky? Too many time jumps? Let me know whatcha think.**

**I may have taken a few liberties. I have no idea how a conflict of interest arises. And I have no idea how new authors get published.**

**Hold on to your knickers, ladies. The next chapter promises to bring some -uh- long-awaited ****relief! ****Leave me a little love and the next update might come sooner than you think. You guys inspire me!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Not beta'd... I wonder how many times I have to say that before someone takes pity on me and offers to do my pre-reading for me. *smiles sheepishly***

**.**

**_Previously on _Point of No Return_:_**

_**I snickered as Edward bickered with Kate. I planned just which dress I would ask to borrow from Emily. After all, I needed to dress to impress.**_

_**Edward won't know what hit him.**_

_**When I got back to my cubicle, I found a dried rose bud... and two Hershey's Kisses on my desk. It reminded me how he had complimented my eyes... Chocolate... Desire.**_

_**I popped one into my mouth and got to work. He may be subtle but when I declare my desire, I'll be anything but.**_

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**.**

_**July 7, 2011 **_

**.**

Apprehension settled over me, thick and uncomfortable, as I exited the office building on my way home. All I could think about was how terse I had been with Rose yesterday and how I hadn't had the chance to apologize to her since then. I grimaced, thinking about the post-it apology I'd stuck to her door before leaving for work, which had seemed like a good idea at the time. I'm pretty sure the note either got completely ignored or torn to bits and tossed into the trash.

The other day, when I'd gone to pick her up from her place, I wasn't really in the right state of mind myself, having been awake for over twenty four hours. I couldn't have given her sound advice then. Afterwards, when I'd had time to mull it over, I couldn't help but feel Rose was being a tad dramatic – or a lot. Just because Emmett might be going overseas didn't mean he would forget all about her. And if she was hell-bent on not following him to London, hiding behind the lame business excuse, she shouldn't make Emmett feel like the bad guy. He was beside himself, calling me frequently and texting me even more frequently, checking up on her and frankly, testing my patience quite a bit.

Things came to a head last night and she and I had gotten into a spat. Her hormones and the imminent arrival of Aunt Flo on my doorstep only exacerbated the situation, though I blamed her irrational logic just as much as the pregnancy-induced chemical imbalance, if not more. Scratch that – definitely more! And I agree that PMS had made me rather bitchy but what I said wasn't wrong, even though I regret speaking so bluntly.

It all started when my phone had chimed, for the _gazillionth_ time in the past hour. Rose and I were killing time watching ridiculous infomercials as we _shared_ a pint of cookie dough ice cream – meaning Rose ate the most of it, while I got in occasional scrapes when she got too absorbed in the workings of something called a _FaceTrainer_.

"Someone _really misses you? What was this, like their fifteenth text in the last five seconds?" she commented with a teasing grin._

_I rolled my eyes and responded drily, "Yeah, he misses me so much, he can't stop asking about _you_!"_

_Rose frowned in confusion before understanding dawned on her and her spine stiffened. She sat there contemplating, her ice cream-laden spoon forgotten in the tub. I shamelessly dug around it, taking advantage of her preoccupation. _

"_Does he- I mean, how often- Is- Ughh!" She gave up with a frustrated huff, leaning back against the sofa. She concentrated on her breathing while I put all my efforts into scooping up larger bites of ice cream and making obnoxious sounds, hoping she would reclaim her spoon and shove me away, as she usually did these days. After my fifth bite though, I was feeling kind of silly and Rose had her eyes closed, breathing deeply._

_Very reluctantly, I abandoned the ice cream and took her hand, "Ro, honey, you know Em's a worrywart. He's concerned about you and the Peanut. He wants to talk to you. He desperately wants to know what you think about all this. You're torturing the poor guy."_

"_What, you think this is easy for me?" She griped, pulling away from me, "You think I _like _being away from him? Not talking to him? You think it doesn't kill me to think about him coming home to an empty condo? You don't think-"_

"_Hey," she was getting more hysterical by the second so I held up a hand to intercept, "no one's forcing you to stay away from him. It's _your _choices making you both miserable."_

In retrospect, I realize I shouldn't have let my temper get the best of me, but I couldn't bear to stay silent any longer when she was making them both go through, what I deemed to be, unnecessary heartache. She needed to have the proverbial ice water doused on her head. Life was never sunshine and daisies. This was just a trial and they would overcome this together, as they always had.

To make matters worse, I hadn't stopped there. I'd gone on to say that she needed to give Emmett more credit and that she should have more faith in their bond, not to mention, their _marriage_. Now, I wonder if I had a death wish.

Of course, she flew off the handle. At first, she was furious, so furious she was red in the face, making me worry about her blood pressure. How dare I? I didn't know jackshit about her and Emmett – total bullshit as they both overshared every aspect of their relationship, and I do mean _every_ aspect. How dare I insinuate that she doubted Em?

Once she had had her fill of pointing fingers at me, she crumbled and became a blubbering mess. She promptly went into "her" room and shut the door. And locked it.

I had instantly felt horrible for making her cry but she really needed to let go of her fears and talk to Em before this blew out of proportion. Well, any more than it already had.

Now I worried if I had spoken out of turn. Emmett wasn't happy with me, making me feel guilty for leaving her alone in this. Apart from Emmett, I was her only confidant, her only friend – the only one she could bank on for being on her side.

Taking a deep breath, I entered my apartment, placing my umbrella upside down next to the door and shedding my raincoat. As I kicked off my shoes, I called out to Rose.

"Ro, I'm home. I come bearing gifts," I stupidly held up the pickle jar, which I'd picked up on my way, to the empty room. Pregnant Rose loved pickles, even though she'd always turned up her nose at them before. I figured a peace offering might soften her up.

No answer. Not entirely unexpected, but definitely disappointing. Maybe the pickle won't be enough.

I ambled further into the apartment and set the jar loudly on the kitchen counter, then noisily plucked a bottle of water out of the refrigerator. Parking my butt against the counter, I sipped my water slowly.

Still no sign of Rose.

Since the day she'd come home with me, I would always return from work to see her occupying the couch in my living room, eating the contents of my refrigerator. The empty living room taunted me now.

Getting worried now, I moved toward my office, which was her room for now. I heard giggles.

Suspicious, I inched closer and I heard a groan. A distinctly male groan.

"Oh fuck, Rosie! Just like that!"

And I had officially heard enough.

"Oi," I banged on the door, "It sounds like you guys have quite literally kissed and made up, which is well and good. But if you do it on my futon, I swear I will cut you."

A loud thud, a curse and more giggles were my only response.

I shook my head and made my way to the kitchen to start dinner with a relieved smile on my face. It sounded like things were back to normal between them. I just really hope they had talked first. And that they hadn't desecrated my precious futon.

_Only Edward and I were allowed to do that._

My breath hitched at the errant thought as an image of Edward and I – a tangle of naked limbs on the futon – invaded my mind.

_Edward and I… Oh my!_

Rose and Emmett decided to grace me with their presence then, bursting my bubble of lustful imaginations. They were both red-faced and giggly. Rose was radiant as she helped me grill the fish while I prepared the tortillas.

They told me over fish tacos that they had finally talked and resolved their issues. Em was going to go to London next week and after he's made arrangements for her, Rose will go to him and stay for the first two months. They looked happy with their decision, and while I was going to terribly miss my friends, I was infinitely glad things were alright between them now.

After dinner, as I was loading the dishes into the dishwasher, Em announced that they should get going and scurried to Rose's room mumbling something about fetching her stuff. I knew better; he was giving us privacy to talk it out. Better not waste time.

"I'm so sorry, Ro, I-" I stopped when she hugged me fiercely, stealing my breath.

"Stop right there, Isabella Swan."

_There's the Rose I know. Tough and demanding. _

"Yes, Ma'am," I returned her hug and smiled into her shoulder.

"You are the only one besides Em who sees through my bullshit and I'm so glad you called me out on it."

"I'm glad you didn't kill me for doing that!" I joked and she poked me in the side.

"Ow, Rose!"

"I love you for always being there for me," she whispered.

"I love you too, Ro. You would do the same for me," I said with absolute certainty.

"I love you for letting me crash here and for letting me eat all your ice cream." Her voice was getting shaky now and my throat constricted with emotion.

"You know you're the only one I share my ice cream with."

"Oh, we should _so_ get matching BFF tattoos," she jested, trying to control the inevitable waterworks.

I gave a wet chuckle, "Yeah, on our asses!"

"Now _that_ would be fucking sexy!" Em put his two cents in.

"Shut up, Em!" We both said at the same time and then fell into fits of silly giggles.

**.**

_**July 9, 2011 **_

**.**

I nervously paced the length of my apartment, waiting for Kate to arrive.

The reps of Black Wood had postponed the get-to-know-you dinner until now, unwittingly putting my Blow-Edward's-Mind plan on hold. It was finally happening tonight, and while the butterflies in my belly guaranteed that I wouldn't be able to appreciate the cuisine, Leah assured me I would enjoy "knocking his socks off".

With a swipe on its screen, I brought my phone to life to check the time again. It was 5:45 pm. Kate should be here any minute now.

I went into my bedroom and stood in front of the long mirror, making sure everything was as it should be. The dress Emily lent me was a deep purple one shoulder number that reached my knees. It flowed over me like a second satiny skin, pleated throughout, with a beaded medallion on the side. I'd paired it off with nude lace peep-toe Jimmy Choo pumps.

My skin had a faint pearly glow due to the baby oil concoction I'd applied. I'd kept my makeup light – a little mascara, a hint of blush and soft pink lip gloss. I ran a brush through my silky straightened hair that fell halfway down my back, just for something to do.

Not for the first time that night, I began second guessing my choice of apparel. Was it inappropriate for what was essentially a business dinner? Was I overdressed?

My phone beeped then, signaling Kate's arrival.

_Nothing I can do about it now._

Shrugging on my jacket, I took a deep breath, gave myself a mini pep talk, and stepped out.

"Hello, Ms. Swan. How do you do?" Kate's driver, old Mr. Jones, was waiting for me downstairs with an umbrella and a kind smile.

"Hello, Mr. Jones. I'm doing very well, thank you. How are you?"

"Can't complain, Ma'am," he held the door of the black sedan open for me and the umbrella over my head, as I carefully got in.

"Bella!" Kate gave me her hand in greeting, "You're gorgeous, my dear."

"Thank you, Kate." I smiled, pleased, "You look great."

"Pshaw," Kate waved me off. "You should qualify that sentence with 'for an old lady'"

"Well, it's true," I teased, "You do look fantastic _for an old lady_!"

"Ha!" She laughed and then proceeded to entertain me with her and Garrett's, as yet undecided, post-retirement plans.

Half an hour later, we had reached our upscale destination. The hotel was extremely chic – Kate seemed to be pulling out all the stops to impress the Black Wood people.

My hands tightened on my clutch as my stomach fluttered with nerves. I followed Kate as she sauntered over to the tall, black-haired maître d' and greeted him like an old friend. He took our coats and I concentrated on my breathing while they talked. _His_ name drew my attention to their conversation.

"Mr. Masen has already been seated, Madam."

"Splendid!" Kate clapped her hands happily and the maître d' offered to usher us toward our table.

Kate looped her hand with mine as we walked behind him. I was captivated as I took in the large windows that framed a spectacular view of New York's skyline. It was raining lightly and the heavy gray clouds obscured the stars above; not that you could ever see them in the city, anyway.

"…surrounded by Harvard-educated idiots. And for the record, I have a strong objection to your tie."

His voice was laced with condescension. Once I might have found it unattractive, but now it was strangely… _appealing_. Although, I'm sure it wasn't conceit that I found appealing – it was _him_.

The strong set of his shoulders was relaxed, as he pored over a file on the table. I'd noticed how he always leaned slightly forward as if ready to assert his ownership of any situation. The confidence his posture exuded was downright sexy. As was the furrow between his eyebrows.

"Why? On what grounds?" I just noticed the lanky person sitting next to him. He looked like a kid masquerading as a man in a too-big suit and a mismatched skinny tie.

Edward looked at his tie with disdain, "On the grounds that A, it's too skinny; B, it doesn't match your suit and C, it's _way_ too skinny."

"Edward!" Kate called out from across a few tables, uncoiling her hand from mine in order to wave at him.

His eyes flitted to mine, shifted to Kate and then returned to mine. His eyebrows rose infinitesimally as he took me in. Gray-green eyes lazily roamed from my pumps to my calves, lingering at the curve of my waist. Invigorated by his reaction, I practically sashayed forward, grateful that Kate was ahead of me. The butterflies in my stomach went wild, but it wasn't nerves fueling them. It was Edward's gaze, slowly moving upwards, as if feasting on my body. He took his time when he got to my exposed shoulder. By the time his piercing eyes met mine, I was all but vibrating with the raw energy flowing between us.

A throat cleared impatiently, interrupting the loaded moment between us.

Edward stood up gracfully, crooked smile firmly in place.

"Hello, Kate. _Isabella_. You both look lovely."

The low baritone of his voice as he said my full name struck a chord within me and I had to bite my lip to muffle a gasp.

"Thank you, Edward. And who do we have here?" Kate asked, gesturing to the man-kid, who was still seated, looking at me with a gaping mouth.

"This is Eric Yorkie, my Associate," Edward gritted through his teeth, "whose job will be in jeopardy if he didn't shut his mouth and get his ass out of here this instant."

He punctuated the sentence with a sound thump to the table that got the Yorkie kid's attention. He immediately picked the file off the table and shoved it into his messenger bag, letting the chair screech as he got up.

"I want the due diligence on my desk by 8 am, Monday," Edward reminded him sternly, "and when I say 8, Yorkie, it means you should have it there by 7:45. Now scoot."

The poor lad scurried out of there like a rat escaping a sinking ship.

"Oh Edward, you could've been nicer to the boy," Kate clucked her tongue as Edward pushed her chair in for her.

"I could've," he gave her a cheeky grin.

Then he stood behind me, waiting for me to sit down.

I lowered my ass slowly and chided him with an indulgent smile on my face, "You're breathtakingly insensitive."

"Well, seeing as you have permanently snagged the '_breathtakingly beautiful'_, the rest of us will have to make do with being breathtaking in any capacity." He whispered into my shoulder, making me shiver visibly.

_He thinks I'm breathtakingly beautiful!_

Once we all were seated, Kate and I on either side of Edward, the maître d' came up to our table, this time ushering the Black Wood reps.

"Ok, kids, they're here." Kate said quietly, "Put on your game faces."

We all stood up to greet the new comers and my welcoming smile waned when my eyes fell on the dark-complexioned man with an easy, familiar smile.

"Jake." Jacob _Black_. _Black_ Wood. I wanted to hit myself in the head for not making the connection sooner.

"Bell?" His tone was colored with candid surprise and a hint of wonder "Wow, you look… wow."

Two splotches of pink appeared high on his cheek bones.

_Interesting_.

Of course my own cheeks were on fire, as well. There we stood blushing like two teenagers on prom night. I couldn't help it, really. He was my _first_ and seeing him, in front of Edward no less, is a little awkward.

"Impressive vocabulary for someone in the publishing business," Edward interrupted our staring contest with his dry comment. "You certainly have a way with words."

Kate grunted her disapproval while the other man standing next to Jake moved forward. He was rather stocky in stature with a chubby face and a few glittering fixtures in his teeth.

"Mr. Masen, it's an honor to meet you. I'm Gary Coleman," he enthusiastically shook Edward's hand, not the least bit concerned about his lack of professionalism. "I'm Black Wood's legal advisor."

"Good for you," Edward responded with a pleasant smile but I could detect the sarcasm in his cocked eyebrow.

Gary laughed boisterously as if he hadn't heard anything funnier, his tummy jiggling slightly.

"I'm Jacob Black, co-founder of Black Wood," Jake thrust his hand at Edward.

"Edward Masen," Edward responded, not bothering to explain his link to Norman & Norman.

The two men shook hands, sizing each other up in the process. Standing to his full height, Edward was taller than Jake, his shoulders squared and his aristocratic chin high. He was, as always, impeccably dressed, in a khaki suit, paired with a striped sky blue shirt and a navy blue tie. Jake's attire consisted of a casual black jacket over a white V neck shirt and black slacks. The defined squares of his pectorals were visible over the thin material of his shirt. Jake had always loved working out: he was ripped. From what I could tell, Edward wasn't a fitness freak like Jake but he was toned and his biceps were to die for.

"Gentlemen, I trust your flight was pleasant?" Kate smiled at our guests, trying to dispel the lingering tension in the air.

"It was pretty uneventful," Gary chortled, obliviously "but I figure that's a good thing. No terrorists aboard!"

Kate chuckled politely. I could practically hear Edward's eye roll.

"Gentlemen, this is my right hand, Bella Swan. She's going to take over when I retire." Kate introduced me and then arched an eyebrow at Jake, "Of course, you seem to be acquainted with her already, Jacob."

Jake looked at me and showed off his pearly whites in a huge grin, "Yeah, Bella and I go way back."

I snorted delicately, and put on a winning smile, "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Coleman. _Mr. Black_."

"Aw, don't be like that, Bell. We were-"

"_Were_. Period." I looked Jake dead in the eye, letting him know I wasn't going to tolerate his levity.

"Shall we, then?" Edward smirked, waving toward the table.

Everyone murmured their assent and started to settle down. My breath hitched when I felt a warm hand come to rest at the small of my back. When I searched Edward's face, I saw that while the curl of his lip was intact, his eyes had tightened.

_Is he jealous? God, I hope so._

He ducked down to whisper in my ear, "How bad was it?"

"What?" I frowned in confusion.

He pointed at Jake with his head, confirming my earlier suspicion. I bit my lip to curb the megawatt smile threatening to break free.

"He broke my nineteen year-old heart when he moved to Chicago for his MBA. My best friend swore if she saw him again, she would chop his dick off."

Edward snickered as he helped me get seated before sitting down himself. We all perused the menu and Kate carried out most of the small talk from our side of the table. I buried my head behind the tall menu because, through it all, I could feel Jake staring at me.

"Is it bothering you?" Edward asked in a hushed voice.

"No Edward, I absolutely love it when my exes appear out of nowhere and gape at me creepily," I deadpanned.

Without warning, his hand came to rest on my bare knee. I stopped breathing. Then his thumb started making these sensual circular motions on my skin and my heart rate soared.

"What about this?" He blew into my ear.

"What about this?" I parroted breathily.

"Does this bother you?" His pinky ventured under the hem of my dress.

"No," I sucked in a much needed breath.

"I did represent him, yes," Edward said much loudly, looking at the other end of the table. His fingers didn't relinquish the sweet torture. I blinked out of my daze, trying to understand what was going on above the table.

"One of my friends was on jury duty for the case and I got to live vicariously through him." Coleman fawned over Edward, "You were outstanding, even though it was your first time in court after-"

"Yes it was," Edward said with finality in his tone, his hand tightening on my knee. I heard Kate quietly chastise Edward for being rude. He shrugged, unaffected.

Across the table, Jake was scowling at Edward and Coleman looked sufficiently cowed. Kate attempted to salvage the situation. It helped that dinner arrived then, distracting Dumb and Dumber even further.

After dinner, I excused myself to the ladies room. I touched up my lip gloss and smoothed down my hair.

I almost groaned when I saw Jake waiting for me outside, but my grimace couldn't be controlled.

"Hi," he said softly.

"What, now you're going to start stalking me?"

"I wasn't stalking you, Bell. Jesus, I just- I wanted- you look beautiful."

"So I've heard. Anything else?" I stepped to his left to make my escape but he blocked me.

"Bell, please. I just need to talk to you. Is that too much to ask?" He looked sincerely heartbroken and it rubbed me the wrong way. I hadn't broken his heart – he'd broken mine.

"There's nothing to talk about," I was getting more annoyed by the minute, "Yes, we were together. We're not anymore and frankly, I couldn't be happier about that fact!"

"Is it because you have someone else in your life?" He asked, "Is it _him_?"

"Who I am with is none of your business."

I attempted to get out of there, but this time his hand clasped around my wrist, stopping me.

"Bell, come on-"

"Is there a problem here?" Edward stood at the end of the hallway, staring daggers at Jake.

_Oh, thank God!_

Jake let go of me as Edward came closer, "Are you alright, Bella?"

"Yeah," I said as he gingerly took my hands and brought them toward light, examining them for any bruising.

When he was sure they weren't harmed, he pinned me with his gaze. His expression was so tender it took my breath away. I beseeched him with my eyes to kiss me.

_Kiss me, Edward. Show him I'm yours. _

His eyes dropped to my lips and back. His head whipped around to glare at Jake and then, before I knew it, we were moving. It took me a minute to realize we were headed toward the exit of the hotel and a thrill danced down my spine.

"Edward, Kate-"

"She can handle herself. Text her that you're going home with me." He kept dragging me.

My stomach quivered with eagerness as we collected our coats and went out into the night. I dutifully fired off a text to Kate.

Tonight, he had a different car, and I was slightly disappointed that I wouldn't get to see him drive again. Edward rattled off my street address to the driver as I got comfortable against the leather seat. He held my hand in his but made no move to take it any further. Occasionally, his thumb would swipe along my hand, making my breath stutter.

Similar to the other night when he'd dropped me off, he opened the door for me and escorted me up to my apartment. Unlike that night, his hand was on my waist, making my insides feel warm. Also unlike the other night, this time, I wouldn't let him go until I got what I wanted.

I quickly unlocked my front door and left the door open in invitation. Divesting myself of my jacket, I went into my kitchen to get two bottles of water. When I came out, he was still standing warily in my doorway, his thumb worrying his brow, looking like he was going to skedaddle.

"Oh, not again!" I sighed in defeat.

He stared at me, nonplussed.

"I swear I don't get you, Edward Masen. You're attracted to me. Don't even bother trying to deny it because you have that look in your eyes. You lock me in your gaze like you're a panther and I'm your prey." His eyes got darker and I could no longer look him in the eye without losing my train of thought.

"And sometimes – sometimes you look at me like you want me; not just how a man wants a woman but like you want me by your side." I felt like a callow girl, speaking of things she knew nothing about. "You touch me innocently, yet you manage to ignite a desire within me the likes of which I've never experienced before. You do all these things and then you come this close to kissing me but you let the moment pass you by, or worse, you run away–"

"You're precious," He declared tenderly.

"I don't care – wait, what?" I was a little surprised to see that he had managed to close the door during my rant and was now standing barely a few inches away from me. His eyes had the look I'd just described and my stomach did a back flip.

I heard a quiet, "Fuck this," and then he stepped closer so that his body brushed mine, his scent enveloping me, making my heart beat a wild rhythm.

He reached out and brushed my hair aside, leaving my right shoulder bare. Then he dipped his head down and I felt his nose gliding against the newly exposed skin, breathing me in. My hand came up of its own accord to hold his head to my body.

"_Isabella_," he breathed against my ear, his voice ragged with desire and my fingers grasped at the short hair at the back of his neck in response.

He nudged my neck lightly and I automatically tilted it, eagerly giving him access. One of his hands snaked around my back, bringing me closer still, while the other worked its way through my hair to the back of my head. He brushed a feather light kiss to my clavicle and then nipped and licked his way up the curve of my neck. My eyes rolled to the back of my head with pleasure when he blew on the moist trail he left with his mouth.

"Edward," I panted, as his lips moved to the edge of my jaw.

"God, I can't think of a single reason why I resisted you for so long," he pressed a kiss to my ear, "I'm sure there were plenty of them, but I don't care anymore."

"As much as I would love to hear all those reasons, I think you should kiss me before I decide you're not worth the wait," I teased, tugging at his ear lobe with my teeth.

"You _really_ shouldn't have said that," he growled, sweeping me off my feet. Literally.

* * *

**AN: ****Oh shit! *ducks out of the way of a dozen tomatoes***

**So.. hehe.. whaddya think? ****Thanks for bearing with my erratic update schedule, folks. School is officially over for the summer so I'm going to make an effort to update more frequently. Also, I'm gonna try to write ahead as much as I can.**

**I hope you're still with me and I really hope you're going to write something in the box below and press the "Post Review" button. Even if it is just to tell me what a ginormous bitch I am for leaving it there. **


	10. Chapter 9

**SunflowerFran knows her punctuation - unlike me - and she is the reason why you're getting this update super early.**

**.**

**Recap:**

_"Edward," I panted, as his lips moved to the edge of my jaw._

_"God, I can't think of a single reason why I resisted you for so long," he pressed a kiss to my ear, "I'm sure there were plenty of them, but I don't care anymore."_

_"As much as I would love to hear all those reasons, I think you should kiss me before I decide you're not worth the wait," I teased, tugging at his ear lobe with my teeth._

_"You ____really __shouldn't have said that," he growled, sweeping me off my feet. Literally._

* * *

**Chapter 9**

**.**

_**July 9, 2011 **_

**.**

"You really shouldn't have said that," he growled, sweeping me off my feet. Literally.

I yelped as my hands found purchase on his strong shoulders. Edward was a man on a mission, confidently striding toward my bedroom. I traced his square jaw with my eyes and the hint of a smirk on his lips told me he was, as always, aware of my appraisal. I wriggled closer to him and nuzzled my nose into the underside of his jaw, breathing him in. His spicy, virile scent sent my thoughts spiraling. His hand tightened around my thigh in response. He let himself in through the open door and gently placed me on my bed, letting my feet hit the carpeted floor.

I fumbled in the semi-darkness for the bedside lamp and switched it on. Edward's eyes tracked my movement but didn't return with my hand to my lap. I closed my eyes and grimaced in mild embarrassment when I saw what had caught his attention. My bedside table was like a shrine to him, decorated with the collection of dried flowers he'd left at my desk. And of course, the note that started it all: _The case has been dismissed. Thought you'd want to know. - E.A.M._

Edward just stood there staring, and when he turned to face me, the expression on his face told me that the mood had decidedly morphed from playfully seductive to something somber.

Suddenly, in a lithe maneuver, he was kneeling on one knee before me, taking me completely by surprise. I'm sure my eyes were wide as saucers as he gazed at me from under his eyelashes. They were golden in the lamplight, and the way he looked at me made me feel lightheaded.

It might have been a minute or it might have been an hour, but we stayed like that, the ocean of his gray-green locked to the earth of my brown, wordlessly conversing about the budding feelings we weren't ready to vocalize yet.

There was tenderness in his eyes and an unexpected melancholy that just about tore my heart to pieces. Eyes like his – otherworldly in their beauty – should never be tainted by such acute sadness. I blinked away the sudden moisture in my own eyes and reached, with an unsteady hand, to cup his smooth cheek.

His eyes fluttered shut as he leaned into my hand and took a deep, shaky breath. He turned his head slightly and brushed his lips against my pulse, murmuring unintelligibly against my skin.

Then he pressed a light kiss to my right knee, his fingers dancing down my calf to remove my pumps. He took it off, ran a gentle hand over my foot and set it on the soft taupe carpet. Then he lavished the same attention to my other foot before putting it down.

In the course of a few weeks, Edward Masen had turned my life upside down. It was true that he had stolen my breath on numerous occasions; sometimes with his words, sometimes with his gaze and sometimes with his mere proximity. But this was the first time that Edward – or anyone else, for that matter – had taken my breath away with the sheer gentleness of his actions.

I was touched.

I smoothed my hand at the back of his head, not even trying to hide the adoring smile that indubitably adorned my face. When he looked up at me, the soft, lop-sided curve of his lips so reverent, I gasped, feeling my face heat up. I felt a rush of warmth creep into my chest and fill my heart, expanding it like a hot-air balloon. If he weren't tethering me to the ground, I might have drifted away.

One long finger whispered along my face, and I felt inexplicably shy all of a sudden. My gaze dropped to my lap, where my other hand was fidgeting with the dress.

His hand, warm and strong, wrapped around mine and squeezed lightly.

"Bella," his voice was whisper soft, unobtrusive, almost a part of the quiet.

His other hand nudged my chin up, coaxing me to look at him.

"You're right on all counts. Yes, I am beyond attracted to you but who can blame me? You have this rare beauty that seems to shine out of you. It's not because your eyes are dark, and when I look into them, they draw me in."

He leaned in and kissed both my eyelids lightly. Then his fingers threaded through my hair, "It's not because your hair is gorgeous, long and shiny and so, so soft."

I hummed in pleasure and his eyes darkened.

His thumb grazed my lower lip and my spine tingled, "And it's not even because of your mouth – so red and tempting – like the forbidden fruit."

Warm hands cupped my cheeks, "It's because of your innate goodness and the way you openly wear your heart on your sleeve. You're unafraid to show who you are inside because you have nothing to hide."

I blushed deeper, wondering if that was really what he saw in me. Not that I was too insecure to think I couldn't be so special, but the fact that he thought I was, totally amazed me. The look in his eyes as he regarded me was so sincere that it left no doubt in my mind that I was precious to him.

My heart soared.

"You elicit a very strong, protective instinct in me. Ironically enough, I believe the one person you need protection from the most is me, but I don't think I can stay away from you anymore. I'm not half as good as you are. But I want you anyway."

I frowned in confusion, about to argue, but he smoothed the wrinkles on my forehead with his thumb.

"So, Ms. Swan," He rested his forehead against mine, his eyes glittering with mischief, "will you allow me to take you out on a date?"

I felt like I might burst into happy tears like an overly emotional parent on their child's graduation. In order to curb that highly undesirable reaction, I bit my lip and nodded my acceptance.

I mean, what else is a girl supposed to do when Edward Masen so thoroughly romances her and then asks her out on a date, down on his knees and everything?

**.**

_**July 11, 2011 **_

**.**

I understand now, why Emmett had called Edward ruthless. Because the way he negotiated was nothing short of brutal – and his cocky assertiveness was incredibly _hot_! I thanked my lucky stars that Edward was on our side. And that I got to see him in his element.

"In short, although Black Wood is new to the publishing business, it has a lot of potential," Jake's lawyer, Mr. Coleman waxed lyrical about the company he represented. I thought if I had to hear another word about how perfect Black Wood is I'm going to start pulling my hair out.

Thankfully, Edward cut him short, "All right, let's cut to the chase."

He leaned over, making eye contact with Mr. Coleman, who was sweating profusely.

"You can hardly express the potential of a business in monetary terms; so, frankly speaking, I could give a rat's ass about how much potential you think your company has. Every parent thinks their kid will sprout sunshine out of his ass until he grows up, and gets busted for drug possession."

Jake glowered at Edward across the table while Mr. Coleman looked as if he wanted to cry, and Kate was sitting silently on my other side, quietly sniffing her disapprobation. Edward had told Kate to let him do the talking, and after several baseless arguments that were summarily shot down by him, she had reluctantly acquiesced.

"Listen, hotshot –" Jake started hotly, but Mr. Coleman put a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"Don't tell me what I'm saying is not true unless you _want_ me to insult your intelligence – and trust me, I won't have any qualms about it. Where did you go to business school anyway?"

Outwardly, Edward was calm, but I could see the sparkle of amusement in his eyes. I had trouble controlling my reaction, though, and coughed to cover up my snort. I'm sure Edward put the business-school dig in there for my benefit. I'm going to have to find a way to reward him for that.

_Oh, the wide realm of possibilities…_

"So, as I was saying, setting aside the_ groundbreaking potential_ of your company," Edward carried on, his tone heavy with sarcasm, "there is absolutely nothing you have to offer us. And seeing as you're being cagey about sharing your books, I'm going to guess that you aren't doing so well financially. I'll even go so far as to say that there is a distinct possibility that you're on the cusp of bankruptcy."

One look on the faces of the men on the other side of the table and I could tell Edward was dead on. Jake was turning a rather unattractive shade of puce in his anger, and Mr. Coleman was sputtering, scrambling for words, but only coming up with gibberish.

"Yeah," Edward's smirk radiated smugness, "hit the nail on the head, didn't I? Even my Associate could tell you that, and he doesn't even know how to shave."

Said Associate scowled at Edward and self-consciously touched the tiny nick on his neck.

He didn't miss a thing, did he? If I wasn't already so hopelessly infatuated by Edward, seeing him be all lawyerly would have changed that. I was in awe of his brilliance.

"And I looked into you, Coleman. You have been involved in a lot of shady deals," Edward put his forearm on the table and leveled him with a glare, "Since you seem to be well-versed in my track record, you should know that I don't do shady."

Jake sulked like a child who didn't get any candy and Mr. Coleman looked at Edward with grudging admiration. It made me wonder about his sexual orientation.

"Now that you have been sufficiently stripped of any idealistic bullshit that made you think we were on equal footing, we can talk business," One bold eyebrow cocked, "unless you need a minute to regroup."

.

"That was _awesome_!" Eric, Edward's Associate exclaimed when the door to the conference room finally shut behind Jacob.

I giggled and nodded because it was. Edward had gotten them to agree to all of our terms. Although I didn't quite like how the term 'hostile takeover' sounded, he assured us it was for the best, and after today, I don't think I would ever _not_ take Edward's advice. From what little I understood, we were going to buy their publishing house and run it as we see fit under our name, and I liked that quite a lot.

Eric was like a kid on a sugar rush after a baseball game, giving Edward a play-by-play of how 'epic' this or that was. Edward merely sat there and indulged him like a good sport, adding tidbits and explanations every now and then.

For all his indifference and sometimes callous behavior to Eric, he was mentoring the kid in his own way. He was a teacher for him, just like Kate was for me; guiding him along, just like I guided the interns. Right then, I felt incredibly proud of him.

Edward sipped his coffee, and his eyes met mine. I beamed.

"What do you think, Bella?" Eric asked. He clearly had a puppy-dog crush on me and Edward wasn't as tolerant as I was. He rolled his eyes and I smiled.

"I think I don't ever want be on the side opposing Edward."

"No shit."

"And I'm thinking you could've been nicer about this." Kate voiced her opinion for the first time since Edward had forbidden her from speaking.

Edward sighed wearily, obviously tired of having this argument time and again, "Kate, we've already been over this. Nicety in business is just a ruse. I didn't feel the need to be nice to get what I wanted, so I didn't bother."

Kate muttered something about not-at-all-nice, stubborn, arrogant lawyers and made her way out of the room. Edward scratched his forehead and stood up, looked at me with a resigned expression. I gave him a thumbs-up and he smirked, going after Kate.

"So, um, Bella," Eric blushed, to my amusement, "do you- um-"

"Yorkie!" Edward poked his head into the conference room startling the poor kid, "bring my briefcase."

"I'm not you servant, you know!" Eric protested indignantly.

"Would you stop whining and just get it."

I shook my head at him and mouthed, "You're incorrigible."

He just winked at me and then barked at Eric, "Today, Yorkie!"

**.**

_**July 15, 2011 **_

**.**

_Thank God it's Friday!_

I don't think I had ever uttered, or even thought those words, ever before. I had always loved school. In fact, Renee loves to tell people how I used to cry when I woke up on Saturdays and realized it was a no-school day. And don't even get me started on my job. Rose accuses me of being married to my job, but I assure her it's a good marriage.

A healthy one.

But today, I was completely relieved it was Friday.

_Finally._

I'm pretty sure people thought I was certifiable as I entered the elevator, smiling at nothing and vibrating with excitement.

I was going on a date with Edward.

I grinned dopily, unperturbed by the curious gazes coming my way. On the ground floor, I practically skipped out of the elevator as a steady stream of somberly-dressed, business people trickled past me.

I stepped out the automatic doors and stood for a moment while I opened my umbrella. It was then that something unusual caught my eye, and I stopped what I was doing to stare unabashedly at the private spectacle.

It was pouring buckets, like it usually does these days. Completely unsurprising. What intrigued me, however, was the couple standing next to the exit. One moment, the women was distressed, frantically rummaging through her enormous purse; the next, the man had removed his jacket and held it over their heads so that it was covering both of them. They braved the rain then, and though the jacket didn't do much in the way of preventing them from soaking to the bone, the smiles on their faces were blinding.

Upon closer inspection, I came to the conclusion that I knew them. It was Paul and Lauren. Things seemed to have worked out in their favor after all. I started walking again, smiling along the way while dodging puddles on the sidewalk, and the occasional splatters of dirt coming from the busy road.

Maybe it was the rose-tinted glasses I was wearing these days thinking about Edward, but it seemed like everyone around me was happy and in love. It was a naïvely romantic notion – birds singing sweetly and flowers blooming. Of course, birds still caused a ruckus, and flowers died and got trampled every minute.

Leah thought I was in love, and that's why I was so giddy all the time. Now even I knew that was absurd. As if I couldn't get cranky just because I was in love, not that I thought I was in love. Maybe… but I don't know.

At home, I showered, shaving every unwanted hair off my body and applied conditioner to my hair. As I rubbed moisturizer on my legs, I wondered for the fiftieth time where Edward might be taking me that would require casual attire.

I decided on wearing a peach, lace-trim tank along with my favorite pair of skinny jeans, folded up to mid-calf. I applied a little make up, and after much deliberation, tossed my hair up into a ponytail.

Just as I was putting on my shoes, there was a knock on my door.

Butterflies flooded my stomach.

_He's early. _

I opened the door, ready to tease Edward for being too eager, but my words got lost when my eyes fell on him.

If I thought Edward in a suit was the epitome of handsome, I had obviously been mistaken, because I had never seen Edward in jeans before – he was positively gorgeous. He wore a tailored, black, button down shirt, sleeves rolled over his sinewy forearms. It wasn't the denim that clung to his legs in all the right places or the sparse golden chest hair peeking from the few top buttons he'd left unbuttoned. It was his hair, which, for once wasn't slicked back. I understand why he felt the need to use hair gel because his reddish-golden hair, though short, was a bit chaotic – a riotous mess that belied its sophisticated master.

"Cat got your tongue?" His voice was laced with humor.

I garbled out something about his hair, and he laughed, leaning forward to brush his lips against my cheekbone.

"These are for you," he placed three purplish dried flowers in my hand.

"Thanks, I'm just gonna-" I motioned with my thumb toward my bedroom and made a hasty retreat, utterly discombobulated.

_Very smooth, Bella. And you didn't even invite him inside. _My internal monologue chastised me.

I placed the flowers on my bedside table, vaguely wondering how long it would be before I'll have to find another place for my prized possessions so that they don't start overflowing onto the carpet.

Edward was leaning on my doorjamb when I returned, his eyes unapologetically taking in my jeans, the flowy tank, and my lips before meeting mine. He grinned and offered me an outstretched hand.

"Ready, Beautiful Bella?"

I smiled bashfully, "Yeah. I'm sorry—"

"Oh, no, that won't do."

He shook his head and walked the few steps so that we were toe to toe. Reaching around, he gingerly took off my hair tie, letting my hair flow over my shoulders and onto his hand. He ran a gentle hand through it a few times, brushing the tangles away and then stepped back, a satisfied smile on his face.

"That's more like it," he whispered, and brushed a lingering kiss to my forehead. I closed my eyes and savored it with a happy sigh.

"Come on," he took my hand and led me out the door.

.

Evil man that he was, he didn't tell me where we were going no matter how much I begged. In the end, I let it go and just enjoyed watching him drive. This car had a manual transmission, and I couldn't help admiring the contraction and relaxation of his muscles as he shifted gears.

"How many cars do you have? I just realized I've never seen you with the same car twice. You change cars like Leah changes clothes!"

He smiled sheepishly, "Cars are an indulgence. The only one I allow myself."

"Wow. The only indulgence I allow myself is an occasional ice cream or chocolaty dessert, which feels rather insignificant compared to yours. And don't think I didn't notice how you evaded my question."

"I own four cars: a 1961 Jaguar E-Type, an Audi R8 Coupe, a Tesla Model S, and this one, Mercedes-Benz C300," He said promptly. "And apart from that, I pay an exorbitant amount of money to a few car clubs so that I can drive classic cars whenever the mood strikes me."

He rattled off the names and rushed through the explanation, breathing deeply when he was done as if he were relieved to have unloaded some massive secret off his chest.

While a part of me was trying to calculate how stinking rich he'd have to be to own four cars without being intimidated, another part of me was analyzing how clinically he'd relayed that information. The extra detail was inconsequential to me, and it made me wonder why he tacked it on. I don't pretend to know him well, but I do know that Edward was always to-the-point and not prone to rambling like me. Then again, he would be the one to point out that 'devil is in the detail'. I carefully filed this away in the requires-further-contemplation category and focused on the man sitting by my side.

I frowned, "I'm not making you uncomfortable with my questions, am I?"

"No, not at all, you have every right to ask me questions. Anything, really."

There seemed to be a hidden meaning to his words that I didn't quite understand. I studied his profile for a while. His jaw was tight, and he intermittently scratched his eyebrow with his thumb. The fifth time that he brought his hand up to rub his eyebrow, I swatted it away.

"Stop it before you rub it off. I'll refuse to publicly acknowledge your presence if you only have one eyebrow."

"Really," he was amused, thankfully distracted from whatever dark thoughts were swirling through his head a few minutes before. "Lacking one eyebrow is a deal breaker for you?"

"Yep," I said cheerfully, "Can you imagine the horror of not having an eyebrow?"

Edward laughed, the cute little crinkles at the corner of his eyes making me fuzzy-warm inside.

.

When we arrived at the destination of our first, _official_ date, I was equally surprised and amused. And I couldn't help teasing Edward about it.

"Really, Edward…Central Park?" I might have turned up my nose a little for effect.

"We can go somewhere else if you want."

I blinked at him, my eyes traveling from his face to the picnic basket and back to his face. I was completely floored that he had put so much thought into this. I was of the opinion that the first date should be personal and relaxed. Not trying to impress a guy by having impeccable table manners or a guy impressing you by making reservations at the most lavish restaurant.

Something simple.

Just like this.

"I could've made a reservation at the most expensive restaurant in the city, and I've done that before. It would've been easy, too. Nothing that a phone call and a credit card swipe can't do; but, it just didn't feel… special enough."

His hand twitched in mine, and I realized I hadn't said anything at all, and that he was anxious. The confident-bordering-on-cocky Edward Masen, who made powerful people shake in their boots with his mere mention, was worried about my reaction.

I disentangled my fingers from his and ran them through his hair like I had wanted to since he'd shown up at my doorstep. I stood on my tip toes, bringing his face down until we were nose to nose.

I looked into his uncertain eyes and whispered against his lips, "It's perfect."

Then I let my eyelids drift shut as I closed the breath of a distance between us, and brushed my lips against his.

He set the basket down by his side and gently cradled my jaw with one hand. With exaggerated slowness, his other hand glided up and down my ribs, making my toes curl.

He kissed me slow and deep, sucking and nipping at my lips, his tongue expertly massaging mine. Needing more, I pressed closer to him scratching the back of his head, and I felt a groan rumble through his chest. If my lungs hadn't started burning with their need for oxygen, I might never have pulled away – who needs it, anyway?

He ducked his head and dropped a few, open-mouthed, sloppy kisses on my mouth until my giggles made it difficult for him to continue his sweet assault.

"So, did I prove to be _worth the wait_?"

Aaaaand, cocky Edward was back.

I didn't have to say anything, though. I'm sure my rapidly rising and falling chest, my undoubtedly swollen lips and my bright eyes were a testament to his kissing skills.

Then his smile changed; becoming warmer – more sincere. His eyes were clear and exultant, and his lips were cherry red. My heart stuttered as he enveloped me in his arms and tucked my head under his chin.

It was in that moment, wrapped up in his warmth, when I realized that Leah – the bitch – had been absolutely right.

I was undeniably and irrevocably in love with Edward Masen.

* * *

**AN: So, how are we feelin'? Edward poured his heart out – well, not completely, but it was a start. And now Bella's in love with him.. who woulda thought? Raise your hands if you thought they would do it this chapter? I swear I thought the same thing before I started writing it.**

**Many thanks to SunflowerFran who rec'd this fic on TLS – check out all the awesome fics nominated, and vote for your favorites here:**

**wwwDOTtehlemonadestandDOTnet**

**(Just replace the DOT with actual ".")**

**_RedGirl_ : I know, I know. I was going to wait to put it up but then I figured, I couldn't leave you guys hanging on that evil cliffie! **


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